Haunted
by XdearestX
Summary: Kagome is plagued by disturbing dreams night after night, each dream more graphic and horrid than the last. She has trouble telling the difference between reality and her dreams. Can Inuyasha bring her back before it's too late? At long last! Chapter 8!
1. Going Under

Haunted

_She had had this dream before, on the same swing in the same playground in the same type of weather. Only this time it was real.....or was it? Each time she had this dream it felt real so now she had no idea what was real and what wasn't.  
  
Dark clouds rolled overhead until they were surrounding her. It was twilight and the sky was gray. With each second that passed the ominous clouds moved closer. Instead of feeling scared, Kagome felt...happy. Yes, happy. Like this was what she wanted. But was it? Something inside of those clouds was coming to take her away, out of her misery and she was elated.  
  
A smirk crossed her lips as tears stung her eyes. She started to laugh and cry all at the same time. Her laughter was hollow and held no joy. And soon she was doubled over in the little black swing, gasping for breath with tears streaming down her face.  
  
She glanced overhead, the clouds had stopped and time seemed to stand still. She leaned back in the swing, simply gazing at the sky. She had finally gotten a hold of herself but a small smirk remained.  
  
Once she was taken by whatever was inside of those wonderful dark clouds, what would happen? What would happen to those she loved? Kagome unconsciously grabbed the fragment of the Shikon no Tama that hung around her neck. The jewel was already halfway complete but they still had a long way to go if it was going to be whole. And then there was the whole Naraku factor. Oh well they'd deal with him when they crossed that bridge.  
  
The clouds moved closer and her smirk grew. Oh God, she was losing it. Her grip on the jewel tightened. As the clouds advanced, doubt began to consume her. This wasn't what she wanted, was it? No, it couldn't be. What about Inuyasha?  
  
"Inuyasha...."  
  
Inuyasha, the handsome half-demon, who had stolen her heart. And he did it without her knowledge probably even his own for that matter. As much as Kagome hated to admit it she was hopelessly in love with him but she knew she had a snowball's in hell chance of ever being with him for he was still in love Kikyo.  
  
"....why can't you leave me be?"  
  
Screams erupted from the distance followed by strikes of lightening. Kagome gasped and jumped to her feet. Someone was hurt. The screams sounded again and her heart did a back flip. Oh my God, she knew who those bloodcurdling screams belong to.  
  
She took off at a sprint in the general direction of the lightening. But as hard as she ran it was like she was just jogging in place. She was still in the old playground by the shrine. Why can't I move? she thought, exasperated.  
  
The cries were quieter now but the light of the lightening was still visible. Kagome knew that within minutes he was going to be dead if she didn't do something quick.  
  
"Hold on!! Please! I'm coming!"  
  
Her voice seemed to echo off of invisible walls and surround her before fading. She started to take off again and this time she was finally getting somewhere. The houses and apartment buildings were empty as she ran past. She didn't know where she was going but knew that she had to get there before it was too late. She turned into an alley, climbed over a fence, and dropped back into a jog.  
  
_I can do this, I'm almost there. _Another crack of thunder broke through the quiet air, a scream of pain followed. Kagome increased her speed and willed herself to move like bullet or something really really fast. Her foot caught under a can and she crashed to ground. She lay there motionless, stunned, flat on her face.  
  
Another scream pierced the air but this time it was faint. Kagome shot up. Her vision grew blurry as she stood up on shaky legs. She started running again, her throat felt clogged, and she could barely see. She touched her cheek. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying the whole time.  
  
She could make out the bolts of lightening, but no sound besides thunder met her ears. There was something strange about the lightening, instead of falling down it appeared to be shooting up from the ground like an attack of some kind.  
  
"Oh no..." she whispered. "This can't be happening. Inuyasha!! Don't leave me! I need you! Please don't die! Please I beg you!"  
  
She was shouting now, her cries mixed with her own sobs.  
  
"Inuyasha!!"_"Kagome! Kagome! Honey, wake up."  
  
"C'mon sis! Stop screaming already and wake up!"  
  
"Perhaps I should go to my room and return some talismans. You know, just in case."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Meow."  
  
"I really think I should. Maybe it's some sort of demon that has possessed our Kagome. Or I do know some incantations that'll wake her."  
  
"Do you think those'll work, Grandpa?"  
  
"Meow."  
  
"Of course they woul-"  
  
Kagome cracked open her eyes only to find her entire family looming over her in their pajamas. Her mother smiled in relief and touched her forehead.  
  
"Kagome, it was just a nightmare that's all. Are you okay?" her mother asked worriedly.  
  
Sota and Grandpa had stopped their conversation and turned their attention the two women. Grandpa folded his arms over his chest and muttered something about not being able to use ancient magic. Buyo the cat jumped on Kagome's lap and rubbed against her chin.  
  
"Yeah Kagome," Sota said. "You woke us all up with your screaming."  
  
Kagome blushed and pet Buyo. "Sorry about that. I had a bad dream." _More then you'll ever know.  
_  
"I'll say, that must have been a really bad dream to make you scream like that," Sota continued. "You must really like Inuyasha." He added.  
  
Her blush grew; she was now officially sure that all the blood in her body was in her face. She must have looked like a tomato head. Kagome Higurashi, your easy to read tomato head.  
  
"Shut up! I do not," she snapped and smacked her brother lightly on the arm. "Whatever gave you the idea that I like that jerk?"  
  
Sota frowned in mock thoughtfulness. "Well hmm let me see, just now you were all," he changed his voice into a high pitch. "'Inuyasha! Don't leave me! I need you!'" his voice returned back to normal. "I dunno about you but I think that you definitely have the hots for him."  
  
Kagome wasn't sure if she could possibly blush anymore without her head exploding. But somehow the heat in her cheeks grew even more. Any second now and Kagome was sure she'd burst. Had her miserable little brother heard that much? Was she really screaming that loud? Oh God! That meant her whole family heard! AHH!  
  
She looked up at her mother, who had picked up the sheets that had kicked onto the floor.  
  
"Is that true?" she asked weakly.  
  
Her mother sent her a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid so, sweetheart. We heard every word. That must have been a horrible nightmare."  
  
"E-every word?"  
  
"Just short of you confessing your undying love for him that is," Sota interjected with grin.  
  
Kagome glared at him; he really knew how to make a girl feel good about herself. NOT.  
  
"Can it, twerp, no one asked you," she hissed. "You can go back to bed now, show's over so there's no reason to stay up anymore, Sota."  
  
"That's right Sota, tomorrow's a school day so you better go back to sleep," agreed Kagome's mother.  
  
"Awww but Mom, it's Friday. Can't I just miss school tomorrow?"  
  
"No Sota, now go to bed. It's already three in the morning."  
  
Sota let out a defeated sigh and dragged his little feet back out of the room. Kagome remembered Buyo, who lay in her arms, and got up after her brother.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Sota paused in the doorway of his room, suddenly looking very sleepy. "Wha?"  
  
"You forgot Buyo," Kagome said with a smile.  
  
They entered his room without another word. It was small but decorated with posters of favorite anime characters and super heroes. Toys were littered on the floor. There was a piece of paper hung over the bed with the scribbled words 'My Hero Inuyasha' in colorful lop sided letters with little doodles of the half-demon on the corners. Kagome couldn't help but smile at the sight.  
  
She set Buyo on the bed as Sota crawled under the sheets. Buyo meowed loudly and made his way to his young master.  
  
"Hey Sota," Kagome sat on the foot of the bed. "Will you promise me something?"  
  
Big curious brown eyes met her azure ones.  
  
"What is it? What do you want me to promise? It isn't anything bad is it?"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "No, its nothing bad. But do you promise not to tell Inuyasha about what happened?"  
  
"Whatdaya mean?" he asked, blinking.  
  
"I mean, don't tell him that I had a dream with him. No, not a dream a nightmare. Do you promise?"  
  
"Sure, of course. But sis, what exactly happened? You sounded pretty scared," Sota asked in a I-don't-really-want-to-know-but-I'm-asking-anyways kind of tone.  
  
_I witnessed Inuyasha's death...no I heard it.  
_  
"It's nothing, really, just a bad dream." 


	2. The Last Sign

Haunted  
  
By $hAdOwCaT  
  
Chapter 2: The Last Sign  
  
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Droplets of rain crashed upon the earth. She was on the swing again, watching the clouds consume the sky once more. An overwhelming sense of déjà vu fell over her. Gusts of wind pushed her forward in the swing, but she paid it no mind. All she could see was darkness coming to take her away.  
  
"Hurry," she found herself whispering. "Please, I can't wait much longer."  
  
As though consenting to her wishes, the dark clouds rolled faster. Any minute now, she would finally be rid of this place, this wretched life. She would finally be free. No longer would she have to worry about demons, about school, homework. No longer would she have worry about him. And it was that thought that brought her both joy and sadness.  
  
The swing continued to rock back and forth. Her hair blew around her. But she couldn't help but wonder; would he miss her? Like he missed Kikyo?  
  
"Stop it. I'm sick of thinking of you thinking about Kikyo. I'm sick of demons. I'm sick of the fighting. I'm sick of being second best in your eyes. Nothing I do is ever good enough for you."  
  
The wind howled in her ear. She bowed her head as tears fell down her cheeks.  
  
"And most of all, I'm sick of you, Inuyasha."  
  
She swallowed hard and glared up at the sky. The rain stung her eyes, but she didn't care. All she could see was his face, his chiseled, handsome face glaring back at her. He really didn't care about her. There really was no room in his heart for her. She had known that all along, but somehow the thought still hurt. Why was she still hurting for someone who didn't love her?  
  
"You don't have to endure this."  
  
She jerked up and looked around for the owner of the voice. "What?"  
  
"You don't have to put up with this, little one. You don't have to continue to love someone who will never have the same feelings for you."  
  
"I don't?"  
  
"No. All you have to do is come with me and I will take you away from the chaos. I will free you from your misery."  
  
It sounded too good to be true. She looked around once more but saw nothing but the park. The ominous clouds moved ever closer. "Do you want to be free?"  
  
Did she? But that would mean leaving Inuyasha...what was she thinking? He didn't care about her and yet she continued to obsess over him.  
  
"I...don't know...."  
  
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The next day went with little incident, Kagome went to school, got her homework and tried to keep up with the class as much as possible. So she didn't understand a single thing being said or written upon the board, at least she was trying to keep up. All the while people kept asking her about her mysterious illnesses, Kagome kept thinking that everyone in her school was to put bluntly frickin' blind. She looked perfectly fine! Granted she had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, but she tried to hide it as much as she could with concealer. But damn, the people in her school were idiots. Who knew? Maybe that could work for her benefit.  
  
She was currently on her way home when Hojo rode up to her on this bicycle.  
  
"Higurashi!" he called, waving his hand in the air.  
  
Kagome whirled around just in time to see the wind whip through his dirty blonde hair. Oh Hojo.... He was so sweet, a bit dense, but sweet and caring nonetheless.  
  
"Hey, Hojo. What's up?"  
  
Hojo flashed a charming smile that could make any girl swoon, well any girl except for her. He got off his bike and stood beside it with his hands on the bars.  
  
"I noticed that you were by yourself so I thought I could walk you home if that's okay."  
  
"Uh sure...that'd be great, Hojo," Kagome replied as they started walking. "I thought you didn't live around here, what brings you here?"  
  
"My mom wants me to get some supplies from a couple herbal stores around here after school."  
  
"Cool."  
  
They continued to walk in an awkward silence. Kagome remembered one of her friends once said that silence is awkward only when you let it. It was good advice but unfortunately she didn't know how to make the conversation un- awkward. She noticed Hojo kept glancing in her direction. Maybe it was awkward for him too.  
  
"So...." Kagome put her hands behind her head and laughed nervously. "This is exciting."  
  
Hojo laughed and nodded. "I'll say. So what do you want to talk about, Kagome?"  
  
She shrugged.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw a flash of red and silver over the houses across the street. Whoa rewind- she did a double take and stopped dead in her tracks. This couldn't be happening, she reasoned with herself, there was no way this could be happening.... That jerk!! She thought she told him that she'd come back in a week! Just a week! Couldn't he leave her alone for just one stupid week? Apparently not.  
  
Ooh, when I get my hands on him he's gonna wish he never jumped into the Bone Eater's Well! I'll make that dog-boy pay!  
  
Hojo walked right past Kagome without even realizing that she had stopped. He paused and looked behind him to find the girl with her hands curled into fists by her side. Her expression changed from shocked to angry in close to two seconds flat.  
  
"Higurashi?"  
  
No response.  
  
"Is something wrong, Higurashi?" he tried again.  
  
Kagome's head snapped up. "What? No, of course not. I just need to SIT down."  
  
Hojo blinked and titled his head to one side. "Oh, my mistake....you looked upset about something so I-"Kagome cut him off.  
  
She grinned and laughed nervously. "Nothing's wrong, Hojo! You were just imagining things!" she looked at her wrist where a watch would be. "Well would you just look at the time? My, I'd better get a move on if I'm going to be on time for my uh.... appointment!"  
  
"I could give you a lift on my bike, if you'd like."  
  
"No! No! That won't be necessary!"  
  
Kagome ran up to him, placed a quick peck on his cheek, and started running home.  
  
"Thanks for everything, Hojo! See ya!" she called over her shoulder before the poor boy had a chance to reply.  
  
"Uh, bye," Hojo stared at her retreating figure dumbly and waved. "Your welcome, I guess."  
  
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"I can't believe him! I said a week! Just a week! Was that too much to ask for? Shesh!"  
  
Kagome made it to the shrine in record time, who knew that muttering to yourself as you ran would make people clear the sidewalks for you? She'd have to do that more often. She raced up the many stone stairs, but after the twentieth one, started to lose her breath.  
  
"Memo to self," she said to herself between pants. "Lay off the ice cream and the WacDonald's."  
  
After about a couple minutes she plopped down on her bed. Why did she run home in such a hurry? Oh yeah, she remembered now. What if it was just her imagination? My God, if that were true that meant she had run home for absolutely nothing. Kagome was not a big fan of running, unless her life was in danger or if there was a sale at the mall. People who ran for fun were just plum crazy in her book.  
  
That flash of red and silver soaring over the houses... there was no other logical explanation. It had to be him.  
  
Kagome lay on her bed for a couple more minutes, gathering her bearings. She was still trying to convince her limbs to work when the phone rang from downstairs. Why couldn't she have a cordless phone in her room or something?  
  
Three rings later and the caller still hadn't hung up. Kagome sighed and with much effort pulled herself off the bed. She walked down stairs and picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello, Higurashi residence."  
  
There was heavy breathing on the other end.  
  
"Er...hello?" Kagome asked again.  
  
".....Kagome, such a pleasure to hear your voice again. It's been five hundred years since I last heard it," drawled a male voice.  
  
Five hundred years? But that meant that she met this person in the feudal era! How?  
  
"Who is this and how do you know my name?" she demanded.  
  
"Oh wait that's right....we haven't been formally introduced yet. But we will, I can assure you that."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean? Look, I don't know what your talking about so-"  
  
He cut her off. "You have something that I want. And I have the answers that will help you get something that you desire. Maybe we could work out some sort of agreement, ne?" the voice chuckled.  
  
"Hello. Wrong number! There is no Kagome here, sorry," Kagome lied swiftly.  
  
The male voice laughed even more. The sound sent chills up and down her spine.  
  
"Okay okay, believe what you wish."  
  
Dial tone met her ears. Kagome didn't move an inch and stared dumbly at the wall as if it could tell her what the hell just happened. But today it turned out the wall wasn't in a very talkative mood.  
  
In the back of her mind, Kagome could hear the front door open and slam shut. It was like she was paralyzed. Her whole mind was just a blank.  
  
"Yo Kagome! What the hell were you doing with Hobo?! I thought I told you to stay away from the creep!" snapped a certain silver haired, amber-eyed hanyou.  
  
Inside the house was quiet but his sensitive demon hearing could pick up on a low droning sound coming from the hall. Inuyasha made a throaty growl; what was the girl up to now? First she was all over stupid Hobo and now she was just standing in front of a little table, staring the wall. What the hell was the matter with that stupid girl?  
  
Inuyasha took a step forward but stopped as he noticed Kagome's hand was shaking. Something was very wrong. He ran up to her. She didn't even acknowledge his presence.  
  
"Kagome! What happened?!"  
  
Kagome shakily put the phone back on the charger and swallowed hard. Was she just threatened by an anonymous stalker? What happened? The phone conversation came back to her.  
  
The next thing she knew, Kagome was staring into a pair of intense liquid gold pools with no recollection of how she got there.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she blinked.  
  
"Kagome! Are you hurt? What the hell happened?" Inuyasha cried.  
  
She couldn't help but smile, Inuyasha could be a jerk but at times he could be almost sweet. This was one of those times. She shook her head and told him what happened, about the man claiming that he knew her from the feudal era.  
  
When she finished, Inuyasha had his hands in his puffy red kimono sleeves with a fierce scowl on his lips.  
  
"This guy, he said that he hadn't heard your voice in over five hundred years?" he asked after a pause.  
  
His attention was focused on the floor and when he looked up to Kagome, he found that she was smiling. Actually she had her hand over her mouth, stifling the sound of her laughter?  
  
"What is so funny?" Inuyasha demanded. "You think being threatened is funny?"  
  
Kagome shook her head but still didn't remove her hand. "No..."  
  
"Then what the hell is so funny?!"  
  
"You."  
  
That wasn't quite the response he had in mind. Inuyasha jerked back and felt the heat rise in his cheeks, but was helpless to stop it. She thinks I'm funny? But I didn't do anything....did I?  
  
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha! I'm sorry!" Kagome said urgently.  
  
She grabbed his hand to prove her point. "I don't think it's funny, I'm sorry. It's just that....." she paused to search for the right word because she couldn't very well say, 'You looked so cute with that frown on your face!' Yep, there was no way she could say that.  
  
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"So you say that this anonymous caller claimed that you had something of his?"  
  
"Yeah, but I didn't recognize the voice. He said he hadn't heard my voice in 500 years, do you think he's a demon?" Kagome asked.  
  
Miroku rubbed his chin in thought. The situation was bizarre, the caller made it seem as though he and Lady Kagome were on friendly terms. What could she have that the caller desired?  
  
"It would appear that way," he said.  
  
A little ball of orange fur jumped on the monk's shoulder. Shippo folded his arms across his chest, his head bowed thoughtfully. "Do you think the caller was talking about the jewel?"  
  
Kagome frowned. "I'm not sure. I've got but a few shards, Naraku has most of the jewel. It would make more sense for whoever this person is to go after Naraku."  
  
"Maybe not. Naraku is a foe only fought against with full power. If this person was a demon, he or she would need the power of the scared jewel shards to even stand a chance against Naraku," the kitsune said.  
  
"Yes, so in that case the wiser choice would be to nab your jewel shards," Miroku nodded in agreement.  
  
Well, that makes me feel a heck of a lot better, Kagome thought. Not.  
  
"I think the object of your discussion is to comfort Kagome not scare her, Master Miroku."  
  
Kagome glanced over her shoulder to see Lady Kaede walk up. Kaede wore a grim expression and had a basket of fruit in her age worn hands.  
  
The Buddhist monk scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "I suppose your right about that, Lady Kaede." His expression turned somber. "I do however feel it is best to tell her truth. She is not a child, Kagome deserves to know."  
  
The priestess nodded in agreement. "Yes, but is this the best time? She is so young..."  
  
Kagome could feel the anger raising and fought her best to stay quiet. What the heck was the matter with them? She was standing right next to them!  
  
"And she just so happens to be here right now!" she hissed.  
  
Miroku looked mildly surprised, as if he hadn't noticed her sooner. Kaede remained impassive.  
  
"Right you are! I totally forgot you were here," he flashed her a disarming smile that had she been any other girl, Kagome would have swooned and forgot her anger. But she wasn't any other girl and thus she was still angry.  
  
"Nice try, Miroku. But it isn't going to work on me."  
  
Miroku lowered his head and sighed. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

-------------------------------------Author's Note: Hey! This is the end of Chapter 2! Thanks to RoxyFoxy and Misura for reviewing! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! Now...everyone, review!

--$hAdOwCaT


	3. Haunting You

Haunted  
  
By $hAdOwCaT  
  
Chapter 3: Haunting You  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_She could feel her vision growing blurry. The rain didn't help her lessening vision either. Dark blobs were all that her weary eyes could make out. She brought her hands to her eyes and rubbed them furiously. She removed her hands and tried blinking several times, but her vision hadn't improved. Flashes of bright light came from the distance, in the mist of a sea of darkness. But there was nothing comforting about these flashes. They made her very soul tremble. She shuddered and tried to straighten but her legs felt like jelly. Her knees buckled and she landed on the ground with a thump.  
  
She put her hand on the ground to support her weight when it came across something warm and wet. Confused, she brought her fingertips to her face. Everything suddenly came into focus. She found herself staring at her fingers, which were covered in a dark red liquid.  
  
Blood.  
  
A gasp escaped her lips. Her hazel eyes darted to where she had felt the liquid and saw red clothing.  
  
She screamed and fell backwards.  
  
Her heart rammed against her ribcage almost painfully. She could feel her whole body tremble in shock. Gathering the remains of her strength, Kagome sat back up and the sight before her made her feel ill. She couldn't believe her eyes. There had to be some sort of mistake, her mind reasoned.  
  
"I-Inuyasha?" her voice came out as a raspy whisper. "A-are you okay?"  
  
There he was, lain on his back with numerous cuts and scratches on his body. His head rolled on his shoulder; silver bangs shielded his eyes. Tetsuaiga lay inches away from it's master's hand.  
  
There was no reply.  
  
Tears clogged her throat. Kagome forced herself to look away. She put her hand over her eyes in an attempt to get rid of the image she still saw and would never forget. A sob escaped her lips, followed by another, and another until she couldn't stop.  
  
"This isn't happening. This isn't real. This isn't happening," she told herself over and over again. "Inuyasha is not dead. He's just fine."  
  
**"In the afterworld."**  
  
"No! Shut up! Inuyasha is alive. This isn't happening. I'm just imagining things that's all."  
  
**"No, your not."**  
  
"Yes, I am!" Kagome's voice trembled as she stole another glance at his slain form.  
  
Oh God, she thought, he really is de-  
  
"No, he's not!"  
  
"Little one, is this what you want? To cry bitter tears over the dead body of the man you love? I change all that."  
  
"He's not dead, I will prove it to you."  
  
**"Try as you might. It will do you no good."**  
  
She sniffled and gently nudged Inuyasha. Nothing happened. She held his hand and bit back a cringe as she noticed how cold it was.  
  
"Inuyasha? Please speak to me."  
  
She set down his hand and shook him by the shoulders. His head rolled to his other shoulder. His eyes were open, but something was different about time. Those amber orbs usually so vibrant and full of life looked dull and...lifeless. He was staring at something unblinkingly.  
  
She bowed her head, struggling against her tears. She fell on his chest and cried.  
  
"You jerk! Damn you, Inuyasha!" she cried. "Why did you have to go and die on me? You selfish arrogant asshole. Didn't it ever occur to you that I needed you? I hate you..."  
  
**"I told you it would do you no good. Didn't I?"**  
  
Kagome shut her eyes, but tears still leaked through them. She blindly groped for his hand and minutes later brought it her chest. Her whole body trembled. She didn't know how long she sat there, crying on his lifeless body as if it would bring him back. Suddenly her body felt as though someone or something was shaking it, violently.  
  
Kagome...!  
  
"No...leave me be. I'm trying to mourn here..." she muttered and smothered her face in his chest, not caring if his blood got on her skin.  
  
Kagome...! Came the cries again.  
  
"...no..."_  
  
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Kagome slowly opened her eyes. She could hear voices all around her but couldn't understand a word of what they were saying or even who the voices belonged to. She blinked several times and finally the world came into focus. Sango, Miroku, Shippo were hovering above her with worried faces. It was still dark out.  
  
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stifled a yawn. "Did I sleep too long? What time is it?"  
  
Shippo looked as though he was going to pass out from relief. Miroku and Sango exchanged glances and sighed.  
  
"You gave us all a scare, Kagome," Sango said with a concerned frown.  
  
Not again, Kagome thought exasperated. This was the second time she had woken people up with her screaming. She had to learn to dream quieter...or something like that.  
  
Miroku handed her a cloth. She gave him a strange look.  
  
"What's this for?" she asked, confused.  
  
"You were crying, I thought you might like to clean up," the monk replied.  
  
Kagome kept her gaze to the ground as she numbly wiped away the tears. Something was very wrong. She kept having the same dream over and over again, and now her horrid dream was continuing each dream more horrific than the last. Most people didn't have nightmares that continued like this. And that voice...that voice wanted her to go with it. Go where? Wherever it wanted her to go, it couldn't be good.  
  
"I'm sorry," she muttered.  
  
Sango crouched down next to her. "It's okay. But Kagome, if something is wrong you know you can talk to us, right? We are friends."  
  
She nodded, still refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "I know. Thank you..."  
  
Miroku straightened and stretched. "It will be daylight soon. We'd all better be going back to sleep."  
  
"Yes, of course," Sango returned her gaze to the young girl before her. "Would you like me to stay? In case you need company or need someone to talk to?"  
  
"No, that's okay, Sango. I don't want you to lose sleep because of me. What if we find a demon with a jewel shard tomorrow and your not up to the fight because of lack of sleep? No, I don't want that to happen. I'm fine, really."  
  
Sango didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure?"  
  
She forced a smile, hoping that the demon slayer wouldn't notice how fake the smile was, and nodded. "Yes. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."  
  
"If your sure." Sango gave her a hug and stood, over her shoulder she said, "I'll be just over by the fire if you need me, okay?"  
  
"Okay, okay."  
  
After the older teen had left, Kagome took in a shaky breath. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her arms. It struck her as odd that her sleeping bag was the furthest away from anyone's. Sango and Miroku were sleeping next to the open fire, which now had burnt out. Shippo, who usually slept with Kagome, had chosen tonight to sleep with Sango. While Kagome's stuff was underneath a large oak tree. And Inuyasha, well he just slept in a tree. And if there weren't any trees, he would sleep on the ground with the others.  
  
They had made camp in the woods, after having gotten wind of a demon terrorizing an area further north. Rumor had it that this demon had in its possession, a shard of the Shikon no Tama. If the rumor was right and they were lucky, they would have another jewel shard of their own. That was, of course assuming, that Naraku hadn't already gotten his sticky paws on it.  
  
She sighed. Her eyes felt heavy but there was no way that she was going back to sleep. Not a chance. She could still picture Inuyasha's lifeless body, bloody and battered. And it scared her.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
Kagome opened her eyes, which she didn't even realized she'd shut, and found someone sitting before her. She blinked several times to realize that it was in fact Inuyasha. Her breath caught in her chest.  
  
"I-Inuyasha," she whispered. "Is it really you?"  
  
Inuyasha quirked a brow. "Of course it's me, Kagome, who else would it be?"  
  
She lowered her head and muttered, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Keh, well don't be."  
  
She heard her sleeping bag make noise as Inuyasha scooted closer. The fabric of his kimono rubbed against her arm.  
  
"Kagome, a-are you okay?"  
  
Okay? Would she ever be okay? Kagome found herself wondering. It would be so easy to just put on a big fake smile and say 'yes, of course! Why wouldn't I be?' but in her heart she knew it was a lie. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want him to worry either. He had enough on his mind, as it was, for starters his dead girlfriend who had been resurrected and wants him dead. And there was the Shikon no Tama and Naraku...why make him worry more than he had to?  
  
She laid her head on her arms once more. "I'm fine," her voice came out as a whisper.  
  
"Wrong. You're not okay. Don't lie to me, Kagome. I can see right through your pathetic lies. Tell me what's wrong. Now."  
  
"I'm fine, really."  
  
"You're a terrible liar, you know that?" he snapped. "Something is wrong. I don't know exactly what happened in your dream earlier, but I know it wasn't good by the way you were crying..." he trailed off.  
  
Just as she was about to say something, Inuyasha continued.  
  
"I hate it when you cry, you know that. I thought that you were cursed again. I tried to shake you, but you wouldn't wake up. I was afraid that I lost you..."  
  
Kagome lifted her head and almost smiled at the scene before her. Inuyasha was staring at the sleeping bag material, his brow twitching slightly. He was tapping his index fingers together. He looked uncomfortable and nervous.  
  
A silver colored dog-ear twitched on his head. Inuyasha slowly glanced at her from the corner of his eye, feeling heat in his cheeks. He gulped audibly. He had hoped that maybe Kagome had fallen asleep or was unconscious even while he revealed what he was feeling and then she would miraculously awake and not even know he had said a thing. But dammit, she did neither. She just watched him, unnervingly calm.  
  
She averted her gaze. "That's kinda funny...because I thought the same thing about you..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It's nothing," she said quickly. "We'd better get some sleep while we still have the chance. 'Night, Inuyasha. See you in the morning." With that, she laid down, bringing her knees to her chest.  
  
Inuyasha blinked but rose anyway. He nodded. "Right. See you." He wandered back to the tree, which he had claimed as his bed for the night, a large oak with thick green leaves. Something didn't feel right about the calm around Kagome. It seemed almost forced. As though she was putting on a façade to hide her pain.  
  
He paused and glanced over his shoulder. Kagome had stretched out and was staring at the night sky. It was obvious that she had no intention of going back to sleep. Inuyasha didn't blame her. If he had a nightmare as vivid as hers, he wouldn't dare go to back to sleep either.  
  
Her nightmare...when her soft cries filled the cool air, he had been by her side in the blink of an eye. Tears poured through the corners of her closed eyes and pulled at his heart. Tried as he might to wake her, nothing happened. Kagome continued to whimper and cry. Her sobs sounded so painful, as if something horrible had happened to her to make her cry so. She mumbled in her sleep. Inuyasha had made out the phrases, _'This isn't happening'_, _'Yes, I am'_, and _'No, he's not'_.One word had made his blood run cold, _'Inuyasha'_.  
  
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_Author's Note: I wanted to skip the A/N for this chapter for dramatic effect, I may have just ruined the effect but I just had to say thank you to everyone that reviewed! This story is doing better than I had imagined! Hopefully ya'll enjoyed this chapter! I'm working on chapter 4 right now! So please review! Let me know what you think!  
  
--$hAdOwCaT_


	4. Whenever I'm Alone With You

Haunted  
  
By $hAdOwCaT  
  
Chapter 4: Whenever I'm Alone With You  
  
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"Fortunes! Who wants their fortune read? Love, death, betrayal...are any of these in your future? Come here and let Madam Zaisan tell you."  
  
Sango put her hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to hide her snort. The day she'd let Madam Zaisan read her "fortune" and find out her "future" would be the day that pigs fly. That old lady was just as believable as Miroku's exorcisms.  
  
They were passing through a rather large town and since they were running low on some supplies, decided to do some shopping while they were there.  
  
Madam Zaisan sat behind a small wooden desk. A stick of incense burned quietly before her. It appeared as though, Madam Zaisan's true shop was behind her for silk purple curtains were at her rear. She waved her hands, trying to get the attention of any passerbyers.  
  
The demon exterminator leaned to Kagome and Inuyasha, who were walking behind her. "That old fortune teller gives Miroku here a run for his money. She's a lot more believable," Sango said in a low voice with a smirk.  
  
Inuyasha snickered and Kagome giggled. Meanwhile, Miroku, who had heard all this, sighed.  
  
"You never know, Sango," the monk said. "The old teller might actually have the 'eye'."  
  
"The 'eye'?" Sango arched an eyebrow. "You've got to be kidding me."  
  
"Oh yes, the magical all seeing 'eye'. The 'eye' that can see everything about everyone."  
  
Kagome leaned over to Inuyasha, pulling at his sleeve. "What's a magical seeing 'eye'?"  
  
The half-demon shrugged, his golden orbs falling over the girl before returning to the scene before him. "Your guess is as good as mine. Must be some stupid human thing."  
  
He and Kagome then returned their attention to the argument before them. Some of the villagers watched the scene with raised eyebrows and hurried back to their homes.  
  
"I'll have you know that my great-grandmother had the 'eye'!" Miroku was saying.  
  
Sango had her arms folded over her chest. "Tsh. You actually expect me to believe that? Everyone knows that the 'eye' is nothing more than an old wives' tale used to scare little children into behaving."  
  
"The 'eye' is real I'll have you kno-"  
  
"What an interesting group of companions you are," said the old fortuneteller Madam Zaisan. She raised her hands in a summoning motion. "Three humans, a demon, and a half-demon."  
  
Inuyasha stopped and in the blink of an eye was face to face with the old woman. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, his lips curved in a snarl revealing enlarged canines.  
  
"How do you know of us?" he asked in a low, threatening tone.  
  
"Inuyasha! What are you doing?" The rest of the gang ran after him. Kagome grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him back.  
  
Madam Zaisan acted as though something like this happened everyday. Her almost cloudy blue eyes surveyed each of the young people in front of her. Her gaze fell upon Sango.  
  
"You," Madam Zaisan said. "You poor thing. I can see that you have suffered through things that most can not even dream of. Your life thrown violently into a new, dangerous path. If you stay true to your heart, your future will be a happy one full of children."  
  
Sango stared at the old woman, her eyes wide, and her jaw open.  
  
Madam Zaisan looked to Miroku, who had a raised brow and a bewildered look on his face. "Ah yes, a man of faith. You carry a terrible burden," her fingers brushed against his right hand. "Time will only tell if you will be strong enough to overcome it. But I believe that you are."  
  
"Really now?"  
  
"Yes, my child. And your future," her eyes darted over in the direction of Sango. "Let's just say, keep up the good work."  
  
Miroku smiled happily and bowed. "Yes! Thank you!"  
  
Now the old woman turned her gaze unto the little kitsune perched on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Aren't you just the sweetest thing? Your past is a tragic one. But now you have a new life full of people who love and will protect you in times of hardships."  
  
Shippo just blinked. "Erm...okay..."  
  
"And you," Her clouded gaze fell upon Inuyasha. She stayed silent for several moments before speaking once more. "Your life has been a difficult one. You've been shun on both sides, even by those who were supposed to love you no matter what. A ghost of your past keeps haunting your future. But, son, the past is over. You must move on with your life and deep down I think the ghost knows that too but refuses to admit it. Look before your eyes for true happiness. It's been there the whole time and you've just never bothered to look."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "What kind of pathetic fool do you take me for, hag?"  
  
Madam Zaisan ignored him, and now looked at Kagome. Her eyes widened and it appeared as though they would pop out of her head in moment's notice. She gasped and pulled off her necklace.  
  
"I-it's you...the...Be gone! You hell-spawn!" she cried and threw the large pendant necklace.  
  
Inuyasha was in front of Kagome, using his own body as shield from any harm. He grabbed the necklace.  
  
"Just what the hell do you think your doing, hag?" he snarled.  
  
"Keep that evil c-creature away from me! And if your smart you'll leave that thing too for she will be your greatest downfall!" Madam Zaisan screamed and stumbled into her shop, closing the drapes.  
  
"I told you the old woman was a nutcase," Sango said, breaking the stunned silence.  
  
Miroku folded his arms over his chest and nodded sagely. "She did see a bit off the deep end, but for the most part I think her predications are true."  
  
"That's because you want to believe that their true," Shippo said as if he were stating the obvious.  
  
Miroku made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "I wouldn't say that...it doesn't hurt to dream though, does it?"  
  
"Your hopeless." The young kitsune gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
Meanwhile, Kagome took a step back from the little shop. What on earth was that psycho woman talking about? What did she mean by 'the miko'? Sure Kagome was in fact herself a miko, but still there were dozens in Japan. The old woman gave the others a warning, did she mean for them to completely abandon Kagome?  
  
Just the memory of the old fortune teller's crazed gaze was enough to make her skin crawl. There was something in that mumbled sentence that terrified her. Would she someday betray her friends?  
  
Kagome shook her head frantically, fighting off the thought. No way. She would never do anything to harm her friends. Never.  
  
She took several steps backwards and inhaled deeply. _Get a grip, girl,_ she told herself. There was no need to get all worked up over some stupid fortune. Chances were that the woman was wrong. But...what she said about the others was true...  
  
Something or someone bumped into the girl, knocking her off of her feet. A gasp barely escaped her lips when the stranger caught her. Kagome found herself staring at a young man who looked startlingly familiar.  
  
"Sorry about that," the young man said, the side of his lip curved upwards in a smirk. "Guess I wasn't watching where I was going."  
  
Kagome just nodded dumbly, unable to do anything but gape at the stranger. _That face,_ she thought in shock, _I know that face_.  
  
The young man had long black hair that fell behind him; his eyes were violet in color and twinkled with an inner confidence. He was of lean build, but it was easy to see that the stranger was quite strong and fast. There was something odd about him, his clothing appeared to be quite modern. He was dressed in a red shirt and black, baggy pants.  
  
"Is there something on my face?" his smirk grew.  
  
"N-no! That's not it," Kagome said quickly. "I-just...I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me."  
  
"No big. But uh, in case you didn't notice..." he indicated with his eyes that she was still leaning in his arms.  
  
Kagome blushed and quickly straightened. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"I consider this my lucky day. It's not everyday that a beautiful woman like yourself come crashing down on me. May I inquire as to what your name is?"  
  
"Kagome, and you are?"  
  
His smirk widened. "Now is not the time. My name is of no importance at the moment."  
  
"But I told you mine. It's only fair that you tell me yours."  
  
"I don't play fair, babe."  
  
Kagome scowled. What a pompous jerk!  
  
"It's been a pleasure meeting you, lady Kagome, but I must go now. We will meet again," with that the mysterious black haired teenager bowed low and departed.  
  
That was...odd. Kagome watched him disappear in the crowd. Something about that guy felt familiar. Not only that but the way he looked. Was it all some kind of coincidence?  
  
Her heart began to beat painfully. She could feel the veins in her neck throbbing. The pain grew to brink of unbearable. Everything around her was spinning and out of focus. Then the world turned black.  
  
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"I don't understand. She was fine just a minute ago."  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
"Speak to us, Kagome."  
  
Kagome scrunched her face and soon her eyelids fluttered open. She found herself staring at the blurry faces of her friends. Sunlight shone brightly behind them. She blinked furiously to get her vision to focus, but all she could see was the blinding brightness.  
  
_Where am I?_ She wondered as her mind tried to make sense of her surroundings. Something warm was around her, incasing her in this almost heavenly warmth. She found herself snuggling closer, sighing in contentment.  
  
"Huh? What's going on, you guys?" she mumbled, putting her hand over her eyes to block the harsh rays of the sun.  
  
"We were at the old teller's shop when you passed out, Kagome," she heard Sango's voice say.  
  
Her head rolled over her shoulder, hitting something hard. Gingerly, Kagome placed her hand on it and found it generated the same heat. Her breath caught her in chest as she felt something move underneath it. Something pulsating in the same rhythmic beats. Almost like a heart.  
  
Dear God, just whose arms was she in?  
  
A rumble sounded by her ear. Blinking, Kagome found herself staring at red. Her vision was perfectly clear now and all she could see was red. She clutched a fistful of the red material. This was the same material as the fire-rat kimono that Inuyasha always wore.  
  
"I-Inuyasha...?"  
  
She looked up and saw him looking back at her. His expression fierce while his eyes gave away his true feelings. Those golden orbs shone with relief.  
  
"Are you alright, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked in low voice as if he were afraid the volume of his voice would harm the girl from the future in any way.  
  
She nodded, but couldn't bring herself to look away. There was something comforting about being here. In his arms. It felt so...so right.  
  
"Where are we?" her voice came out as a whisper. Until now, Kagome didn't realize how thirsty she was until she spoke. Her mouth was extremely dry.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes flickered across the room before he looked back at Kagome. "We're in an inn. Miroku used his little exorcism to get us the finest rooms," the last part came out bitter.  
  
She nodded once more. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. A blush tinted her cheeks. "C-can I have something to drink?"  
  
Inuyasha shifted their combined weight and pulled Kagome's large backpack to him. He rummaged through it and found a water bottle.  
  
"Here," he handed it to her.  
  
She lifted the bottle to her lips with shaky hands. The cool liquid felt so good and refreshing in dry mouth and throat. Her eyes closed in contentment and she sighed.  
  
"Thank you," she muttered.  
  
Inuyasha just nodded and took the bottle from her hands, setting it next to them.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and looked around the room. It was spaciously decorated with only two beds. The window had the curtains closed. A thought struck her. When she had come to there was a bright blinding light, but the blinds were closed and room was dark. How bizarre.  
  
"Where did everyone go?"  
  
"Miroku, Sango, and Shippo have a room next door to ours. We're the only ones here."  
  
"But I heard Sango ask me something when I came to. What happened to her?"  
  
Inuyasha frowned and furrowed his brow. "Kagome, Sango wasn't here when you woke up."  
  
"But I could have sworn I heard her..." Kagome tried to sit up but was hit with a wave of nausea and returned back to her position.  
  
She closed her eyes and tried to make sense of things. She saw a bright light but the curtains were closed. She heard Sango's voice when Sango wasn't there. The only logical conclusion was that she was losing her mind. Although, there was one plus side to all this; she was lying in Inuyasha's arms.  
  
"Uh, Inuyasha? Can I ask you something?" Kagome could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
Well, here goes nothing. "Um, why am I in your arms?"  
  
Color flushed in the half-demon's cheeks as his golden eyes widened slightly. "W-when you passed out, I managed to catch you before you hit the ground. I c-carried you all the way to this inn, but when I tried to set you down...you...wouldn't let go," he stammered quickly.  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
An uncomfortable silence fell upon them. The half-demon's ear twitched nervously. He waited for Kagome to say something, but she continued to rest her face on his chest. The silence grew unbearable. Why wouldn't the damn girl say anything?  
  
"Would you like me to set you down on the bed?" Inuyasha asked, finally.  
  
"Only if you want to," a small smile graced her lips. "I don't know about you, but I'm actually quite comfortable."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Your such a strange girl."  
  
She just smiled in response. A sudden drowsiness fell over her senses. Her eyes closed and a sigh escaped her lips. No matter how tired she was however, Kagome would not sleep. Not tonight. She didn't want to disturb her friends; she didn't want to see their worried faces. Most of all, she didn't want to see Inuyasha's lifeless body. That was an image she was better off without.  
  
She felt Inuyasha's heart rate increase suddenly. His throat rumbled in a low, threatening growl.  
  
"Inuyasha? What's wrong?" Kagome asked softly, opening her eyes.  
  
One of his silver dog-ears was twitching insistently, the way it always did when he was upset or annoyed.  
  
"I can't believe this..." he muttered.  
  
Kagome blinked. "Believe what?"  
  
"That fool! How many times do I have to tell him...?" Inuyasha rambled on to himself, thoroughly confusing the girl. His eyes had a faraway gaze and were locked on the door.  
  
What was he talking about? Kagome wondered. The least he could do was keep his thoughts to himself if he was going ignore her like this. Kagome grabbed a lock of his hair and yanked hard.  
  
Inuyasha yelped loudly and glared at her. "What the hell was that for?!"  
  
"What were you talking about?"  
  
"Koga."  
  
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Author's Note: Chapter Four is complete! Sorry it took me so long to update. It's just that I didn't really like this chapter, so I attempted to fix it to make it halfway better. Hope my attempt's worked. Thanks for all the reviews everyone! Next chapter, I'll thank each and every one of you with a little review answer section. soo please review!  
  
--$hAdOwCaT 


	5. Saiko

Haunted  
  
By $hAdOwCaT  
  
Chapter 5: Saiko  
  
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"Stupid wolf!"  
  
"Idiot!"  
  
"Dog face!"  
  
"Why you mangy wolf!"  
  
"Your breath smells, dog face!"  
  
Kagome put her face in her hand and sighed deeply. This routine was getting old fast. Ever since Koga had followed her scent all the way to the inn, he and Inuyasha had done nothing but bicker like children. What they were fighting for was a mystery to everyone, probably even to them.  
  
She had given up a long time ago to stop them from fighting; it was useless. Like mosquitoes were attracted to bright lights, Inuyasha and Koga would fight. They had yet to draw their weapons and were currently trading insults.  
  
When will they stop? Kagome wondered. Her fingers massaged her temples in a futile attempt to stop her raging headache. The loud voices and bright sunlight were giving her a major migraine.  
  
"Does not!" Inuyasha snarled.  
  
"Does too!"  
  
"Does not!"  
  
"Does too, dogface!" Koga growled back.  
  
Kagome sighed once more. She wasn't the only one exasperated by the two's behavior. Sango leaned closer to Miroku, who had Shippo perched on his shoulder.  
  
"Those two have been at it for hours now. Shouldn't we do something about it?" the demon exterminator asked.  
  
"Nothing we can do or say will ever make them stop," Miroku replied sagely. "They are completely deaf to words of reason."  
  
"And their the ones with the superior hearing too," Shippo said dully. The others nodded in agreement.  
  
Kagome groaned and leaned against the side of the building. Everyone was gathered outside of the inn in the grassy courtyard. She wasn't sure how much of this she could take. She glanced over at Inuyasha and Koga once more. They were in each other's faces, yelling and snarling.  
  
"Your such an ingrate, you know that?" Koga was saying.  
  
Inuyasha made a throaty growl. "Well your such an asshole."  
  
"Is that the best you can do?"  
  
"You ain't seen nothing yet."  
  
"Honestly, I don't know what my Kagome sees in you. She puts up with your crap daily when she should be with me, where she belongs."  
  
"Your Kagome?" Inuyasha snarled, his eyes flashing.  
  
Koga smirked. "Well she sure ain't yours, dog boy."  
  
"She's not yours either! Kagome would never want to be with an ass like you!"  
  
"How do you know? And I am not an ass!" Koga said, folding his arms indignantly over his chest.  
  
Kagome hung her head and sighed. Apart of her wanted to walk up to them and chew them out for talking about her like she was some sort of possession. While another part just wanted to disappear. The problem with the first one was that she simply didn't have the energy to put up with their bickering and getting involved required too much. And with the second option, she didn't want to worry her friends.  
  
She turned away and started to walk off when Miroku called to her. With an annoyed sigh, she looked to see what he wanted.  
  
"Yes?" she tried not to sound angry.  
  
"Where are you going?" Miroku asked.  
  
"I'm just gonna go for a short walk. I'll be back soon."  
  
The monk nodded. "Alright, would you like me to accompany you?"  
  
Kagome couldn't help but think that he wanted to feel her even though he had to be much smarter than that with both Inuyasha and Koga around. Those two would pommel him if he tried anything lecherous. Besides, Miroku was clearly interested in Sango. The last thought brought a small smile to her lips.  
  
"That's okay. I'll be fine." With that she walked away.  
  
The sun was setting and the horizon was painted colors of orange, pink, and purple. Dark clouds appeared to be on their way from over the mountains on the east. A thunderstorm would be coming soon.  
  
There was something about this time of day that made her feel at ease, peaceful almost. It was like her soul craved for darkness, yearned for the solitude. At the same time, she wanted nothing but to be around those she cared about. The confliction was confusing to say the least.  
  
Her desire to be alone, she feared, was starting to show. As much as she longed for solitude, she found no comfort in her own thoughts. They showed her what she was really in her heart and what she feared. Most of all, they reminded her of why she couldn't sleep.  
  
Kagome was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't notice where she was going. Her feet led her down a dirt path that stretched out to a river.  
  
The area was abandoned except for one person, who knelt by the river's edge. Whoever it was looked as though he were in deep thought. Her first impression was that the person was praying but his hands were not together.  
  
Wait a minute... "Hey!"  
  
The figure turned and just as Kagome suspected it was the teenager she had met earlier.  
  
She smiled. "It's you, Mister Mysterious."  
  
The raven-haired youth smirked. "Aren't you the bright one? What brings you here, Lady Kagome?"  
  
"I needed some fresh air," Kagome replied with a shrug.  
  
She put her hands behind her and casually strode next to the mysterious youth. She stole a glance from the corner of her eye and found herself marveling at how much he looked like someone that she knew. The only problem was, she couldn't remember who he looked like.  
  
"So...are you ever going to give me a name so I can stop calling you Mister Mysterious?"  
  
"You want it that badly, ne? Well then I guess you can call me Saiko. Although if you ask me, Mister Mysterious has a much better ring to it."  
  
Kagome couldn't help but smile. "I think I like Saiko better."  
  
"Suite yourself."  
  
The pastels that had painted the heavens earlier were vanishing beneath a blanket of darkness. Small, soft lights in the sky began to twinkle. Their reflections shone in the crystal clear water.  
  
They stood in a comfortable silence. Although she had just met the guy, Kagome felt as if she had known Saiko her whole life. The way he put her at ease was unnatural to say the least.  
  
She stole another glance in his direction; the fading light made his handsome features more noticeable. Every time she looked at him, she was hit by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Where on earth had she seen this guy before?  
  
Saiko must have caught her staring because he smirked and said, "Do you always gape at people you've just met? Or just the good-looking ones?"  
  
Kagome jerked back and scowled deeply. "I was not gaping," she retorted. "It's just that...well this may sound kind of weird, but you look strangely familiar. I was just trying to remember where I've seen someone like you before. Have we met before or something?"  
  
A strange light twinkled in his violet orbs, giving them an almost crazed look. "I can't say that we have. As far as I know we met today. And trust me, I would know if I met a girl as beautiful as you."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and tried to not act uncomfortable. That look in his eyes made her a bit uneasy. It was the kind of look a tiger gave once he had chosen his unlucky victim...Saiko didn't want to _eat_ her, did he?  
  
"Is something wrong?" Saiko asked.  
  
His voice caused her to jump a couple feet in the air. She gulped and shook her head quickly. "No. Nothing's wrong."  
  
Saiko arched an eyebrow. "You're acting as though you are afraid of me. Don't worry, I don't bite."  
  
She shivered. "I would hope not."  
  
"Of course, I could nip you. That is only if you want me to," Saiko smirked.  
  
"Saiko! No thank you! I'd rather not be bitten."  
  
"Nipped is more like it."  
  
"Nipped. Bitten-whatever. I don't want either of them!" Kagome cried, shaking her head against the rather adult thoughts that were rising in her head.  
  
Saiko shrugged, but his smirk remained. "It's your loss."  
  
Just as Kagome was about remark about his desperation for a girl, all too familiar voices arose from not too far away. They belonged to her friends, who up until this part, Kagome had forgotten they even existed.  
  
Saiko's eyebrow rose. "They friends of yours?"  
  
"Yes," she said with a sigh.  
  
"You don't sound very excited to hear from them."  
  
"I-"Kagome started to say 'I'm not' but thought better of it. She didn't want to give the impression that she disliked her friends because she didn't. "I was just hoping for more time for myself. That's all."  
  
"Time with yourself, ne? Even though you're here with me?"  
  
"Yeah well you distracted me," Kagome retorted.  
  
Saiko snorted. "Yeah sure, put the blame on me. Even though you're the one who approached me."  
  
She rolled her azure eyes. "Oh shut up."  
  
The shouts sounded again. Kagome knew it was only a matter of time until either Inuyasha or Koga for that matter followed her scent. She sighed and turned to Saiko only to find that he had vanished. She blinked.  
  
"Saiko?"  
  
Blinking, she glanced around and found that the raven-haired youth was gone. Did she imagine the whole conversation? Nonsense. She couldn't have. It felt so real.  
  
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The sun had disappeared completely over the horizon and stars shimmered brightly in the dark sky by the time she had returned. Her clothes were disheveled, her ebony hair amuck. It was like her mind was in another world all together. She didn't even acknowledge the presences of her friend's before shuffling off to the room she shared with Inuyasha.  
  
The companions exchanged confused glances while sitting on the floor, waiting for dinner to be served. Sango was the first to the recover. She glanced at the four men around her. Koga and Inuyasha were sitting on opposite sides of the room away from each other. While Shippo and Miroku were seated in the center along with herself.  
  
"Should someone check on her?" Sango asked but her words were more demanding than asking. Her hazel gaze 'conveniently' landed on a certain half-demon.  
  
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze. It was obvious that she meant for him to go and see what was wrong with Kagome. But did she have to be so...so...forward about it?  
  
Before he had a chance to reply however, Koga rose onto his feet. "Very well then, I'll go check on my Kagome."  
  
"Hell no! If anyone is going to see Kagome, it's gonna be me!" Inuyasha was on his feet in two seconds flat, his hands balled into fists and his fangs exposed threateningly. "And she's not your Kagome," he added with a growl.  
  
"This is getting ugly fast," Miroku announced with a sigh. The two, who weren't bickering, nodded.  
  
"It seems like all those two do is fight," Shippo said. "You'd think they'd tire after such long and pointless battles."  
  
Sango folded her arms over her chest and took in deep, soothing breaths in an attempt to calm her rising temper. She could feel her eyebrow twitching in annoyance and no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to stop. The angry yells surrounding her did not help matters at all.  
  
_Must stay calm,_ she told herself, _Kagome has not been herself lately. Someone has to help her._  
  
Hazel orbs looked up at Koga and Inuyasha, who were in each other's faces, yelling at the other. A plan slowly formed in her mind.  
  
_She may not want my help, but there's someone whose help she cannot refuse._  
  
"Inuyasha? Can I ask you something?" Sango asked suddenly.  
  
Inuyasha tilted his head in her direction and turned to face her. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"  
  
"Were you ever afraid of the dark as a child?"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about, Sango?"  
  
"Were you afraid of the dark growing up?" she repeated.  
  
Inuyasha stole an uneasy glance at Koga, who was watching him intently. "What does this have to do with anything?"  
  
"Be honest. Were you afraid of the dark? I know I was," Sango stated, rising from the floor. She straightened the wrinkles in her skirt casually. "I remember I used to be terrified. I would hide underneath my covers until all the shadows in my room stopped moving or until I passed out from exhaustion."  
  
The half-demon in question shot Sango a strange look. _What exactly was she pulling at?_ He wondered.  
  
"Feh. I was never afraid of the dark," Inuyasha stated stiffly, folding his hands in his puffy sleeves.  
  
He received four sets of skeptical looks.  
  
"I have better night vision than all you!" he shouted.  
  
"Not me," Koga announced. "I'm a full blooded demon so therefore I can see in the dark even better than you, dog boy."  
  
Inuyasha made a deep throaty growl in response.  
  
"Come on, what kind of fool do you take me for, Inuyasha? All children, whether they be human or demon, fear what lurks just beyond their sight. You are no exception."  
  
Inuyasha moved his attention from the demon to the demon slayer, narrowing his eyes. "What are you trying to say, Sango? That I'm a liar?" he growled.  
  
Sango gave a non-committal shrug. "Everybody fears something. Whether it is something tangible like a serpent or intangible like death. No one is safe from fear."  
  
"I fear nothing."  
  
"You may be fearless, but there are some of us who fear the intangible. Fear the uncontrollable like losing a loved one for example," her eyes darted to the staircase. "If only we had someone to comfort us when we needed it..."  
  
Inuyasha followed Sango's gaze when it hit him. What Sango was trying to say. He gasped and his eyes widened. Of course! Why didn't he think of it sooner? Gods, he was such an idiot!  
  
In the blink of an eye, he flew down the hall and up the stairs leaving the others dumbfounded in his wake.  
  
"What's his deal?" Koga was the first to break the stunned silence.  
  
The wolf demon stifled a yawn and leaned against the wall. Meanwhile, Sango smiled and wrapped her arms around herself. It seemed as though her work here was done. For today at least.  
  
She turned to walk outside when suddenly she was staring into a pair of cobalt eyes.  
  
"Miroku?" she blinked.  
  
"Sango, if you ever need a comforting presence you can turn to me. I will be here if there is anything you need," Miroku said.  
  
"Er...thank you, I guess..."  
  
His eyes seemed to draw her into a place where time and space didn't exist. Into a place where something inside of her knew she could find happiness...whoa, what was she just thinking? The words 'find' and 'happiness' and 'Miroku' all in the same sentence? Was that even possible? Although, it was times like these that Sango actually liked the guy, he seemed like a really nice non-perverted guy-then again this was Miroku she was thinking about here.  
  
She could feel her eyebrow twitch as something caressed her bottom. She let her instincts kick in.  
  
"Miroku...you HENTAI!!"  
  
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_The rain came pouring down, crashing upon the earth below mercilessly. The droplets rolled down her face, mixing with the salty tears that fell from her eyes. Her whole body lacked the strength to wipe the liquid falling down her face even though she wanted to.  
  
She couldn't bring herself to move. To move meant to feel and she never wanted to feel again. Death was what she wanted. Her own.  
  
There she was on the black swing again. Gusts of wind moved her back and forth. Was this the same dream again? Or was it real this time? It felt real, that was for sure.  
  
She looked heavenwards and found the sky was exactly the way it was before. Dark and gray. There was one difference this time however. The dark clouds, once hovering over the horizon, now loomed overhead.  
  
**"Why do you weep so?"**  
  
Kagome looked at her feet and noticed the front part of her uniform was painted red. Blood. Inuyasha's blood. It was everywhere, she noted with distaste, even on her hands but the rain was currently washing it away.  
  
She hugged herself tightly in a futile attempt to keep the rain from washing away the blood.  
  
**"Why do you weep, maiden?"** the disembodied voice asked again.  
  
"I've just lost the most important person in my life...the one person who was everything to me...that is way I weep!"  
  
**"You needn't so. Wipe your eyes. There is hope yet in your future."**  
  
"No...there isn't...the moment Inuyasha died," her voice cracked. "a huge chunk of me died as well...I shouldn't be alive..." Kagome muttered bitterly.  
  
Normally she would have been shocked and ashamed of such a tone, but now she didn't care. She wanted to die, end of story.  
  
A large droplet fell on her nose.  
  
**"Maiden, do you remember what I asked you the last time we spoke?"**  
  
Kagome shook her head mutely, unable to speak. Tears clogged her throat making it painful to even breathe.  
  
**"I asked you to join me and finally be rid of your pain. To finally be free...do you wish to free?"**  
  
It sounded so simple, almost too good to be true.  
  
"I...yes...I do..."  
  
**"Do you wish to finally be rid of your wretched past? From the numbing pain that consumes your heart?"**  
  
"...well...I..."  
  
**"Join me and I will make all these things a reality. Will you join me?"**  
  
"...yes..."  
  
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Author's Note: And thus finishes Chapter Five! Happy day! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update everyone! I hit a writer's block but I do believe that I have successfully kicked that block's ass. . I'm going on vacation in a couple of days so I won't be able to update as often as I'd like. But I'll have plenty of time to write so I have Chapter 6 done before you know it! I know I said I'd put the review responses in this chapter...but I'm feeling lazy. Sorry! Don't hate me! I apprecite each and every review! So please review, okay?  
  
--$hAdOwCaT_


	6. Way Away

Haunted

By $hAdOwCaT

Chapter 6: Way Away

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It was dark as far as the eye could see. The air was heavy with the cold. Her trained eyes scanned the shadowy bedroom and came across a lump near the center of the room. Directly across from that was Kagome's big yellow backpack as well as her bow and quiver.

The girl from the future was curled underneath a blanket, her head covered. Sango mildly wondered how she could breathe with that heavy cover over her face.

There was something about this room that gave her a bad feeling and over the years as a demon exterminator, she had learned to trust her instincts. Some demons had the power to create the most ominous of vibes in their surrounding area. Spine-tingling auras were a dead giveaway for the demon in the area.

Why would such a chilling aura be in this room? Wondered the demon exterminator as she carefully crept closer to the sleeping girl. She lifted the top portion of the blanket from the girl's face.

"Kagome?" Sango nudged her.

To her surprise, Kagome's skin was hot. Beads of cool sweat rolled down the girl's forehead.

Inside the room was silent with the exception of Kagome's labored breathing and her own breath. She knew she had to do something before it was too late, but the question was what? She had tried to shake the girl, call her name, the whole shabangabang and still no success. There had to be something she could do, but tried as she might all of her ideas failed.

Could it be a demon trying to possess Kagome?

No, that couldn't be it. Sango didn't sense any demonic presences. Still, with Naraku in the very beginning she couldn't sense his demonic aura. Then again that was a demon puppet. Surely there was no puppet here.

The surrounding air seemed thick with the unnatural cold. It smelt dank; as though there was water or used to be lots of water in the room, which there couldn't be. She couldn't be certain, but Sango was pretty sure that there wasn't a flood in the area or in this inn very recently.

"Kagome? Come on, wake up! It's me, Sango."

There was still no response from the sleeping girl. It was like she was in a coma or something.

Sango bit her lower lip and stole a glance behind her, more specifically the doorway. The door had shut and little rays of sunlight peeked through the cracks at the bottom. It looked like a beautiful, peaceful day outdoors. The perfect day to set off in search for another shard of the Shikon no Tama.

"Ka-"

A chill whipped down her spine.

There was a hitch in Kagome's breathing. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing hollow and chillingly empty sapphire eyes. She gasped for breath.

"-go-"

In between her struggle for air, she mumbled incoherently. Her words were rapid and beyond recognition. It sounded like a chant of some kind.

"-me?"

Silence. Nothing but silence in the cold air. Sango could barely make out the echo of her own voice drifting through the walls. Just as she thought it was safe to exhale, something grabbed her hand.

She heard a scream, but it took her several seconds to realize that she was the one who screamed. The hand belonged to Kagome. The girl's head rolled on her shoulder as she stretched out her right hand. A whisper escaped the girl's pale lips.

"Sango...is that you...?"

"Yes, it's me," Sango breathed.

"Sango..." Her hand was gripped tighter. Shimmering locks of ebony hair fell over the girl from the future's shoulder as she whispered, "Run."

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"What on earth is taking Sango so freaking long? It can't take this long to get someone up."

"Patience, Inuyasha. I'm sure the girls will be down shortly."

The half-demon known as Inuyasha made a throaty and rather dog-like growl. He narrowed his amber eyes at the Buddhist Monk, Miroku.

"If we take too long, that pesky Koga will find us," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Having been way too used to this, Miroku merely raised a hand as if he were trying to halt Inuyasha's fury. "I am well aware of that, but still there are some matters that are out of our control. There's nothing we can do at the moment. Just be patient."

"It's only a matter of time until Koga comes knocking..." Inuyasha muttered to himself, folding his hands in his sleeves. "And when he does...I'll pommel him..."

"Give it a break, Inuyasha," Shippo said dully.

The kistune stared up at the half demon in annoyance, arms folded over his little chest. "We all know that Koga is a strong fighter so it won't be easy for you to take him down."

Just as Miroku was about to break up the impending fight, which would end up only with a crying child and an pissed off hanyou both things he'd rather not have, when a loud crash sound erupted from overhead. The entire inn shook as though it had been struck by something with great force. All was silent.

Shippo was the first to recover.

"W-what was that?" he asked fearfully, clutching Inuyasha's leg in fright.

Inuyasha's fist curled around the hilt of Tetsuaiga. "There's only one way to find out." With that he took off for the stairs with Miroku. Shippo, meanwhile, had been sent flying due to the fact a certain silver haired hanyou kicked him. He clutched his little head and gasped as he saw the fabric of Miroku's robe flutter up the stairs and out of sight.

"Ah hey! Wait for me!"

He scrambled after them on all fours. Moments later, Shippo took a sharp turn into the room in the hall. Inuyasha and Miroku stood just inside the doorway, speechless. What were they looking at? Shippo made his way between their legs and stopped in his tracks.

Everything was still. There was Kagome lying on the floor, her hand extended. Her face expressionless as her eyes continued to gaze straight at something out of sight.

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha raced to her side. He studied her for several moments before grabbing her shoulders. He gently brushed her bangs from her eyes.

"Kagome, are you okay?"

The girl nodded but said nothing.

"She seems to be alright," he muttered to himself. "But, if she's here then where's..."

"Sango!"

He looked over his shoulder and saw Miroku and Shippo rush up to the wooden panel wall beside the door. Shippo was whimpering and mumbling something to the monk. _What the hell..._

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha raised his voice.

Miroku got down on one knee and as he did so, Inuyasha suddenly understand what all the commotion was about. His eyes widened in shock.

There was Sango firmly embedded within the wall. In the dim light it was easy to walk right past her and not even see her. Her head was bowed, her chin touching her chest. She was out cold. Thin trails of blood oozed from the corners of her closed eyes.

How could he have missed the scent of her blood? Usually, he could detect even smallest drop of blood from miles away. Inuyasha sniffed the air. Even now he could not pick up on the scent. The only thing he could smell was...well nothing. That was just it, nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"S-Sango? Are you d-ead?" Shippo asked meekly.

Had this been any other situation Inuyasha would have snorted.

Miroku placed his fingers on the slayer's neck and felt a faint but steady pulse. "Don't worry, she's just unconscious. Sango's not dead, Shippo."

"Y-you sure?"

"Positive."

He gently pulled Sango's arm in a feeble attempt to dislodge her with no success. It was going to take both his and Inuyasha's combined strength to dislodge her. There was no telling if she had any broken bones or any internal injuries. If they didn't pull her out just right, they could do more harm than good.

Miroku glanced back at Inuyasha, who still cradled the girl from the future in his arms. It seemed to him that the half-demon was smothering her, but she didn't seem to notice or care. Her eyes looked chillingly empty. Kagome's body was limp, she appeared almost doll like. Her face relying no emotion.

"Inuyasha," he called. "I'm in need of your assistance. I cannot dislodge Sango on my own."

Inuyasha grunted in response. He tried to stand when Kagome tightened her grip on his sleeves.

"I'm going to set you down. I have to help the others," he told her softly.

Kagome shook her head slowly.

"I have to help Miroku free Sango," he repeated.

Inuyasha gently detached her fingers from his sleeves. He laid her back on the floor and rose. He walked over to the others.

"I'm here."

"Alright, it's going to take the two of us to pull her out. She's lodged in there very nicely," Miroku said, rising. "We're have to be very careful," he added.

"Feh. Fine, let's just get this done with. The sooner we get out of here the better."

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"Is Sango going to be okay, Miroku?"

Miroku looked down at the little fox child, who clutched his sleeve. "For the hundredth time, yes, Shippo. Sango is going to be just fine."

The kistune was unconvinced but nodded nevertheless. "I hope your right. But what do you think happened to her?"

_That's what has been troubling me as well, it doesn't make any sense. Lady Kagome was in the same room; she was staring straight at Sango when we arrived and yet she said nothing. Something about the situation doesn't feel right,_ pondered the houshi. _Usually if one of her friends were danger, Lady Kagome would protect them fiercely. But this time she remained impassive. _

"I honestly don't know," he replied with a sigh.

They returned their gazes to the unconscious demon slayer. Her face was void of any emotion. She looked neither peaceful nor in pain. The naturally milky skin was paler than usual.

It had been several hours since the slayer had moved, twitched even. And that time that she had stirred was when they carefully laid her down on the mat where she currently lay, even then all she had done was furrow her brow. No mumbles or mutters had escaped her delicate lips. No nothing.

The kistune yawned widely, nearly falling over in the act. He rubbed the liquid that had seeped from the corners of his eyes away.

Miroku caught this and gently placed his hand on the child's shoulder.

"Why don't you go outside and take a nap?" he suggested. It was obvious that Shippo was bored and quite sleepy.

"But Mirok-"Shippo started to protest when another yawn escaped his lips. He blushed. "I see your point."

With that he scampered off.

Sighing softly, Miroku turned back to the demon exterminator just as she was about to rouse. He found himself marveling at how someone could wake from deep sleep as quickly as if she were just pretending to be asleep.

Her head was throbbing as she came to. She opened her eyes to find nothing blurs. Her heart skipped a beat in fear. Where was she? Sango would have shot straight up if a hand hadn't prevented her from doing so.

"Easy, Sango. Your are with friends," said a familiar voice.

She turned her head in the direction of the voice. She blinked furiously to get her vision back in focus. As the world suddenly became clear, Sango saw Miroku seated beside her.

"Miroku," she said breathlessly. "Where are we?"

"In a little hut on the outskirts of a small village," came the easy reply. "You are safe now, Sango."

Sango was silent for several moments, trying to gather her bearings. The pain in her head was bordering unbearable. It felt as though every breath she took another jolt of pain would shoot from her spine.

"How did we come to acquire this hut?" she asked finally, her voice cracking from nonuse.

Miroku smiled brightly. "Funny you ask."

"I'm sorry I did."

Her hand massaged her eyes in a vain attempt to soothe the raging headache. What on earth happened?

"All joking aside, do you remember what attacked you? Or an even better question, what is the last thing you remember?"

Attacked? Someone attacked her? Her numb mind tried to sort through her memory. But all she could come up with was Inuyasha arguing with Koga.

"I-I don't know. Is Koga still here?"

Miroku shook his head. "He left last night after several members of his pack came. Something must have happened, but what I haven't the slightest idea."

Ignoring the protests of the monk, Sango sat up. And immediately regretted doing so. Surges of pain shot through her body like electricity. Her lips were barely able to bite back a hiss. She held her arms to her chest and hunched over them, flinching.

"I told you not to move, didn't I?" Miroku sighed.

"Oh be quiet."

"Listen to me, it would be wise not to move for a while. You've got a fractured rib for starters and there's no telling how bad the damage is on your back. You need to rest."

Great, just great. Sango just shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. This was exactly what she needed another set back in her quest of finding Kohoku, she thought sourly. She could feel hands help ease her back down on the mat.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Sango said softly.

"Do what?"

"Help me. You don't have to."

Just as Miroku opened his mouth to reply, someone stormed into the hut. The beaded cloth that served as a door was hanging by a thread. It was Inuyasha. He was panting heavily.

"Is something wrong, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked curiously, reaching for his staff.

"Where is she?"

Miroku and Sango exchanged blank glances. She tried to sit up, but in vain. The pain was still much too strong. Her woman's intuition told her that something was terribly wrong. But what? What could go wrong now?

"Where is who? Who are you talking about, Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned in a soothing tone.

Inuyasha narrowed his golden eyes. He snarled, exposing his fangs. "Just shut the hell up and tell me where she is! I don't have time for this crap!"

The monk rose to his feet, his usually lighthearted expression stone cold. He raised his hand and silenced Inuyasha's insistent growling.

"Inuyasha," he began firmly. "Your going to need to calm down and calmly explain to us what is wrong. We can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on. Can you do that?"

Inhaling deeply, Inuyasha nodded and did his best to contain his anger.

"Now, who is missing?"

"Kagome."

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_Author's Note: Finally, it is done. Chapter 6. Phew wipes sweat from forehead for a while there I didn't think it was possible. I'm so incredibly sorry it took me so long to update, school started and can you believe that I started this in August? Jeez, that's like forever and half ago (lol, not really). I had this great idea in my head, but when I put it to paper it sounded stupid, but now I am satisfied. And I hope that you are too. Do you remember what I said in the last chapter about kicking that writer's block's ass? Well, it's a funny story really, blushes that writer's block has a mean right hook...But anyways, chapter seven is more than halfway done (for a while there I thought I was going to finish 7 before this one) Well R and R! Thank you so much! _

_And here's the list of review responses I promised: _

_Marina: Thank you very much for the review! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! _

_Misura: haha, I know what you mean about Inuyasha and Koga bickering like Seto and Joey. Your right, they are more like Joey. Don't worry, Koga's coming back in the next chapter! Thanks for the review! _

_My-Darkness: Are you still alive? I hope I haven't killed you with all the suspense! I took so long getting this chapter up, sorry!! Hang in there! Oh and thank you! _

_Inuyashafan: That's very sweet about the review thing. You don't have to apologize, I'm pleased and very grateful to get a review from you! Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter. _

_Kitkatfox: Soon you'll understand why Saiko is very familiar, but shhh places index finger on lips it's a surprise, k? I don't know exactly when there will be some I/K moments, but don't worry there will be some just for you, okay? Thank you very much! _

_Jokerhaha: Thank you! I haven't stopped writing, it's more like I've worked on other chapters and rewrote a lot. Lol. I promise I won't stop this story until it comes to the finale. Don't be sad! _

_Well, I'm pretty sure this is all of them for chapter five. If I left someone out, I apologize! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one! _

_--$hAdOwCaT_


	7. Shadows

Haunted

By $hAdOwCaT

Chapter 7: Shadows

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Everything around her felt warm. She could feel little rays of sunlight on her face. Everything surrounding her felt so relaxed, so comfortable. Her mind was groggy, the way it always was when she was just waking up from a good night's sleep.

But she wasn't alone. That much her fogged mind knew for sure. There was a weight on top of her. The heat that radiated from this body seemed to cover her completely. Her common sense screamed for her to do something, that this was completely and totally wrong.

She cracked an eye open and saw a blurry face. Even though the image was blurred, Kagome knew this person. She smiled, her mind awhirl as her heart did a joyful back flip in her chest.

"She awakes," he muttered. "'Bout time."

Kagome giggled as his lips caressed her neck. Her hands held on to his shoulders in a loose embrace.

"Stop that. That tickles," she said, laughing.

"You don't sound like you want me to stop." Kagome could hear the smirk in his voice.

She made a sound of protest, but other than that she did nothing. Pulling him closer, the girl sighed in contentment.

His lips slowly headed south for her collarbone. He pulled her shirt collar over to her shoulder and placed a kiss.

"Oh..." she sighed. "...Inuyasha..."

The kissing and caressing came to a sudden halt. She could feel him lift part of his weight. There was silence.

"Inuyasha?" he repeated, disbelief and disgust obvious in his tone.

"Duh, silly."

Still, her eyes were shut.

"You think I'm Inuyasha?"

Her eyelids fluttered open momentarily. Black hair framed a chiseled tan face and draped over the shoulders. She nodded.

"But I don't have hair of silver," he said.

"Well, duh, your in your human form. Honestly, Inuyasha I know you better than that."

The weight was lifted, the heat gone. Kagome opened her eyes, but instead of seeing Inuyasha, she saw Mister Mysterious himself.

"Saiko!" She gasped, clamping her hand over her mouth in horror.

Saiko turned his back to her, his hands curled into fists at his side. He whirled around and raised his hand as if to strike her. His usually violet eyes shimmered red with rage. Kagome lifted her arm in a feeble attempt to block. She scrunched her face, anticipating the pain she knew was coming. But it never came.

"Huh...?" Kagome opened her eyes just in time to see Saiko bow his head and turn away.

"Yes, it is I, Saiko."

He lowered his hand, turned a heel and walked briskly out of the room. It was several minutes before the girl from the future tried to comprehend what just happened. She stared dumbly at the closed wooden door.

"Saiko...?"

Kagome lay back down on what appeared to be a stack of hay. She picked up several pieces and held them overhead. What the hell? Why was she lying on a giant stack of hay?

She sat up and scanned her surroundings. The room she was in was no bigger than one of the storage houses at the shrine. There was a window on the wall behind her and the blinds were halfway shut. There was only one way in or out of this room.

The question was how did she get here? Where were Sango and the others? Where was Inuyasha? And why the heck was Saiko on top of her?! The thought of the incident brought a hot blush to her cheeks. It wasn't like she enjoyed it or anything, she couldn't believe the words that had come out of her mouth. She couldn't believe that she thought Saiko was Inuyasha. Like Inuyasha would ever do anything like that...to her.

She sighed and hung her head. She stared at her lap. It took several seconds to register that she was in fact staring at her pink panties instead of her green skirt.

"Holy shit!"

Kagome pulled feverishly at her skirt, which had nestled around her waist. She jumped on her feet and pulled it all the way down where it was supposed to be. Her hands smoothed the wrinkled as she prayed that Saiko had not seen her panties, even though she knew that was impossible. He was a guy and guys had built in radars for this kind of stuff.

_I have to get out of here,_ she thought as her gaze settled on the door. _The sooner the better. I don't think I'll be able to face Saiko again,_ she shuddered just at the mere thought.

She took a step forward when her foot nudged something on the floor. It was a small bottle. The girl did a double take, a gasp escaping her lips. Not just any old glass bottle, but the one containing the Shikon shards! Without a moment's hesitation, she quickly picked it up.

The light from the window reflected on the two shards causing them to shimmer. Wait a minute...hold the phone, two shards? She could have sworn there were at least three jewel shards!

Her hand clutched the side of her head as she sighed.

"I really must be losing it."

One thing was for sure; she had to get out of here. Wherever she was, Kagome didn't think it was the best place to linger. She approached the door and peeked out. The hallway was dark and wide. The air was heavy and smelled dank. She quietly shut the door behind her, when the sound of voices reached her ears. She couldn't hear what they were saying.

Taking silent and slow steps, Kagome crept down the long hall. To her horror, she found skeletons lined against the walls. There were so many. The sight made her sick to her stomach, but she clamped her jaw and forced her sights straight-ahead.

There were the voices again. They sounded closer than they did before. She recognized one of the voices. Her heart skipped a beat.

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"Hello, Inuyasha."

He stopped in mid step and bared his fangs, his hand instinctively grasping the tilt of the Fang. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"Koga."

Right in front of him was the young leader of the wolf demon tribe. Koga had his arms folded over his chest, but something seemed different about him. His sapphire eyes held nothing but cold, calculating anger.

Miroku stopped several feet behind Inuyasha with Kirara and the injured Sango alongside him_. Oh no_, he thought,_ this can't be good_. It was never a good sign when Koga was around. Now the wolf had just called Inuyasha by his real name not by 'Dogboy'. Something was definitely wrong.

"Out of the way, Koga," Inuyasha said in his most controlled voice.

"No."

"What? Move!"

"No."

"Koga...I'm giving you one last warning. Move or I'll be forced to kill you."

But Koga didn't budge an inch. He continued to stare at them, so calm it bordered on unnerving.

"Fine then, you leave me no choic-" Inuyasha was in mid-motion of unsheathing Tetsuaiga when a firm hand grabbed his arm. He whirled around to see Miroku.

"Just what the hell do you think your doing, Miroku?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

The monk's gaze was locked on the wolf demon. "We cannot afford to fight today. You know that very well, Inuyasha, we've lost too much valuable time already."

With throaty growl of protest, Inuyasha replaced the sword in its sheath.

Koga merely watched all this impassively. He smirked, "What's the matter, dog boy? Taking orders from humans now, are we? I guess that's to be expected from a _half breed._" At Inuyasha's frustrated growl, he laughed coldly.

_Uh oh_. Things were going from bad to worse. If someone didn't do something soon there was going to be a bloody battle. Hazel eyes watched with disdain. Mustering up all of her strength, Sango pulled herself in seated position. Jolts of pain surged through her body as she tried to sit straight. She bit back a hiss.

Though it was obviously too soon for her to be moving, the demon exterminator had insisted on going along. Kagome was her friend too and she refused to be left behind like some kind of discarded weapon. She may not have her old strength, but she was still useful.

"Koga!"

All eyes landed on the young demon slayer.

"Koga," Sango repeated, trying her best to sound menacing. "We have nothing of use to the likes of you so leave us."

"You are in no condition to tell me what to do, woman. I can smell the blood on you from five miles away. But if you must know, I've come to have a chat with your Inuyasha there."

Sango grit her teeth, narrowing her hazel eyes. How dare he! Arrogant wolf. Right now, she was kind of hoping that he and Inuyasha would fight so she could wish him pain, feeling guilt free.

Turning his attention back to the silver haired hanyou, Koga's eyes narrowed at the sight of his greatest rival.

"Y'know the strangest thing happened to me earlier. Do you have any idea what it could be, dog boy?"

The dog boy in question kept his jaw set. Silent.

"My companions and I came across the most peculiar thing when we were scouring the are," Koga continued in that same light, airy tone. "Tell me, Inuyasha, why is that I smelled Kagome's scent mixed with that of a demon's?"

His heart skipped a beat. Kagome's...scent? With a demon's? The words slowly connected in his head. Their meaning leaving him speechless and filled with an even bigger need to find the girl, be it possible.

"Don't toy with me, Koga," Inuyasha spat finally, each syllable oozing with poison.

"Am I? Or could it be you're too cowardly to admit I'm right?"

Koga's demeanor was slowly changing. His eyes were filled with white hot rage. Sapphire turned gold. Yet his voice remained in that same almost mocking tone.

"Koga, please," Miroku butt in, a note of warning in his voice. But he was swiftly ignored.

"Well? Only one of us will rescue Kagome. That one should be me or do you wish to save her only to lose her once again?" Koga sneered.

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Silence! Let's settle this with our fists."

Before he had a chance to respond, Koga materialized right in front of him. A fist came soaring right in his face. He barely had enough time to dodge the blow.

_If it's a fight to the death he wants...then it's a fight he'll get..._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He gently closed the door behind him regardless of the surges of rage that flowed through his veins. Had his ears deceived him? No, they hadn't. Those words had come out of her delicate lips.

All was silent except for the sound of his feet shuffling down the dark wooden halls. Skeletons still clothed in their battle armor were scattered here and there. Their jaws open frozen in a permanent look in of horror. A heavy mist hung thick in the air, one would think that with such clouds within the palace that it would be hard to breathe but it was just the opposite. He found that it was easier to breathe within these walls then outside in the fresh, open air.

His hand ran through his hair as if to sort out the thoughts raging inside his head. Argh, what was he supposed to do? His mission was to make the girl fall in love with him. Sure, easier said than done. He had thought this would be a piece of cake because she was so flustered by his mere presence. He had anticipated some setbacks but the possibility that she was in love with another man never even crossed his mind.

Gods, this couldn't be good.

A hand grasped his. The gentle touch jerking the boy back into reality.

"Come this way."

He looked down to find a young girl with flowing white hair beside him. She was dressed in a stark, white kimono that went to her ankles. Her eyes were void of any emotion.

"Sister?"

She pulled on his hand. "Come this way, he is waiting."

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With a final puff of air, she hoisted herself out of the old well. This took more energy than it usually did. Her legs were unsteady and soon gave way. Soon she found herself staring at the ground. Kagome leaned against the well, inhaling deeply. _What I wouldn't give for a nap right now...or maybe even a latte..._

She was shaky from all the running she did to get here. One minute she was inside that creepy castle and the next thing she knew, she was wandering around in Inuyasha's Forest. Without thinking, she had sprinted all the way to the well without talking to anyone, even Kaede.

Once her breathing had slowed down to a fairly normal pace, Kagome scanned her surroundings. The inside of the well house hadn't changed much since the last time she'd been in here, it was still dark and musty. Rays of sunshine peeked through the cracks in the aging wood. Shadows passed.

"Do you think Kagome is feeling well enough to see us today?" she heard an awfully familiar voice ask from just beyond the rickety door.

Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart skipped a beat. _Oh no..._

"I hope so. It's been a week since the last time we came by, I'm sure she's at least gotten well enough by now!" replied another voice.

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. _

"Yeah, I wonder what's wrong with her now."

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Someone please tell me this isn't happening. Oh no. Oh no._

Kagome had to smack herself in order to exhale. She needed to come up with a good excuse as to why she was inside the old practically abandoned well house, looking like a disheveled mess. And she needed one fast. Uh she came to look for something and accidentally fell into the well? No no, that wouldn't work. Or she could blame it on her 'illnesses'! Yeah! She had been suffering from hallucinations and the next thing she knew she was inside the well house.

She remembered something a wise man once said:

When in doubt, lie your ass off.

She got onto her feet and cupped her hands to her mouth.

"Oh BUUUUYYYYOOOOOO!!! Where are you, BUYOO?!"

Continuing to shout her cat's name, she opened the wooden door. The three girls, who were currently chatting with her grandfather, turned to her in surprise. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi gasped in unison.

"Kagome!"

"Kagome, is that you?"

"Kagome...?"

The girl in question stopped in mid yell and turned to them, blinking innocently. She brought her index finger to chin.

"Guys? What are you doing here?" Kagome tilted her head to the side in the confused puppy dog look for an added innocent effect.

They rushed up to her. Each grabbing one of her hands, the one left lifted an ebony lock. Eri raised an eyebrow.

"What's with the hay?" she plucked a piece of hay from the girl's hair.

Kagome laughed nervously and pulled out of their combined grasp. She put her hand behind her hand under the guise of smoothing her frizzy hair when in reality she was checking for any more stray pieces of hay that may be embedded in between strands of ebony.

"What do you mean what are we doing here?" Yuka exclaimed in surprise. "Why that's a dumb question, Higurashi! We're your friends, duh, that's why we're here."

Eri nodded in agreement, eyebrow still sky high. "Yeah, although I take you're feeling better since the last time we came by?"

"Or worse," Yuka said to Ayumi in a low tone.

_Okay, I am so pretending I did not hear that_. The pains of guilt that had centered around Kagome's heart were quickly dissipating.

"Are you feeling well, Kagome?" a gentle voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The voice belonged to Ayumi.

"I-I guess..."

"I hope so. I think what Eri and Yuka have been trying to say is that we all miss, myself included. We feel like you have a separate life and we want to be apart of it. That is, if you want us to be..." a shadow cast over the girl's usually carefree expression, but disappeared as quickly as it came. Ayumi gave a sweet smile and shrugged. "What am I babbling about here? Just forget it. Say, if your not doing anything would you like to come with us to WacDonalds?"

Kagome stared at her for several beats, pondering the deeper meaning to her words. She snapped out of her daze and nodded.

"Sure, let me just um clean up!"

She dashed inside the house, slamming the door behind her. What was she supposed to do? She had come home to relax, sort out her thoughts. Not go out with her friends! Wait! The girl flew up the stairs, her thoughts all a whack. She rummaged through her closet furiously. At last she found a blue Jean skirt and a black tee.

Throwing off her filthy uniform, Kagome donned the clothes on in light speed. She raced down the stairs and stopped to examine her appearance in the mirror over the wooden end table by the front door. Aside from her hair looking like she nearly got sucked up in Miroku's wind tunnel, she looked okay.

Something glittered in her reflection.

Barely hidden beneath thick, ebony bangs.

"Come on, Kagome! We haven't got all day you know!" Eri cried from the doorway.

"Uh yeah sure." Stealing one last glance at her reflection, Kagome ran after her friends.

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Author's Note: Hey! That's the end of chapter seven to Haunted! Sorry it took me so long to update! I was having trouble finding inspiration. I wasn't going to end this chapter right here, but I thought it would be too long if I didn't.

I don't have enough time to personally thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter. I'm sorry! But I just want to thank all of you for reviewing anyways! Your reviews mean a lot to me, I like to see what my readers opinions are.

So please R & R

--$HaDoWcAt


	8. Faint

**Haunted**

By $hAdOwCaT

Chapter 8: Faint

-

_There was nothing. Nothing but an endless rain that threatened to consume the land. The only noise was the continuous droplets of water, which crashed upon everything. Darkness as far as the eye could see. But this was no human eye, thus sight was clear. _

_Despite this weather, however, he found himself hot on the chase.The familiar scent filled his nostrils, urging him further. Every step that he took seemed like forever in this endless chase. He'd already run through the forest, dodging thick trees here and there, but he had yet to uncover his prize. _

_This scent… it was so familiar yet he could not seem to place it. _

_The wind whipped through his long ebony hair even though it was confined to a ponytail. Often he would enjoy the feel of the wind against his skin, but now it seemed as though the wind was pushing him back. It was preventing him from going any further. Something inside of him raced, the need coursing through his veins. _

_He had to find her. _

_His woman. _

_As he ran, the oddest thing happened. The scenery around him was changing. The grass became gray and hard, no longer soft to the touch. Trees turned into tall, dark structures that seemed to go sky high. _

"_What the hell…?" _

_The words had barely left his lips when a familiar voice met his ears. It was soft, feminine, and melodic yet it shook with emotion. His heart skipped a beat as he pushed forwards. _

_Soon he came across a clearing. There on the grass, he found her. _

_But she was not alone. _

_Her breath came out as soft pants. She lay on her back, her azure eyes wide. She appeared to be in a state of shock. The girl sat up and covered her hands over her mouth. He followed her eyes and what he saw made his eyes widen. _

_Lying before her was the battered body of his archrival. The tattered, bloody, torn body of the hanyou he had sworn to kill with his own hands. Damn, someone had gotten to the hanyou before he did…_

_The girl whimpered softly before throwing her hands on her face and sobbing. _

_He could smell the saltiness of her tears and carefully approached her. _

"_Kagome…?" he laid his land on her shoulder, unsure of what to do next. _

_The girl only cried more. She tried to move from the touch but lacked the strength to. _

"_Kagome? Look at me." _

_He pulled her hands from her face and forced her to look at him. The dark kohl, or whatever it was that she wore around her eyes, stained her porcelain cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy. They widened. _

_Just as he opened his mouth to speak, she threw her arms around him and wept on his chest. _

"_Oh Koga," she cried. "It's horrible. It's horrible." _

_He held her tight, his hand stroked her hair in a comforting manner. As much as he enjoyed the feeling of Kagome in his arms, he knew this wasn't right. But something inside told him, it could be right. _

"_Shhh…Kagome…" _

"_Koga, this is all-" a painful sob escaped her lips. "- my fault. I am guilty. I am to blame…" _

"_No, that's not true. You could never do anything wrong." _

"_But it's true! It is because of me that this happened," she buried her face further in his muscular chest. "I never wanted any of this to happen…" _

"_This isn't your fault, Kagome," he said after a lengthy pause. What was he to say to the girl who stole his heart? How could he soothe her fears? If there was a way, he would find it. _

_They stayed like this in silence. The girl's sobs had become less and less frequent until they were soft hiccups. She pulled out of the embrace to look him in the face, an unreadable emotion plastered across her features. _

"_Koga…?" _

_His fingers gently brushed the tears off of her stained cheeks. He made a rumble in his throat for her to continue. _

"_Koga, I've realized something just now." _

"_You have? What is it?"_

_She scooted closer, her body pressing against his own. Her head was tilted at an angle, giving her a sort of innocent seductress look. Though her gaze was rested on something just out of sight, her eyes kept returning to his lips. _

"_Koga…" _

"_Yeah?" _

_She averted her eyes. "I have nothing now. I have nothing to live for. There is no reason for me to continue living..." _

_Koga didn't like where this was going. He roughly grabbed her hand. _

"_No, that's not true, Kagome!" _

_She smiled as she pressed a slender finger to his lips, silencing the wolf instantly. "I realize that now. Being with you…You've shown me something just now. I want to be happy, and I know I can find happiness with you."_

_Koga was speechless. _

"_Will you allow me to be happy? With you?" her head was lowered in a shy, timid gesture. _

_He brought her to his chest, his arms encircling the girl. Words escaped him._

_A soft giggle escaped her lips as she snuggled up to him. There was silence for several moments. _

"_Koga, you care about me, don't you?" _

_He nodded his head, his eyes still closed in sheer bliss. _

"_Do you love me?" _

_Again, Koga nodded his head. _

"_Will you do anything for me? Anything?" _

_He made a sound of consent, unable to form words. _

"_Will you…Koga…do you promise to make me forget? Help me forget about that despicable Inuyasha? About all of the horrible things he had done to me? Kill him for me." _

"_I promise." _

-

"Oh I sure hope he's alright."

"I'll say, Koga's been acting weird ever since he saw Kagome yesterday."

The two wolf demons exchanged worried glances, the same thought running through their heads. What was Koga going to do?

Earlier, they had been awakened from a well-deserved slumber by a shrill howl from their leader. The young wolf demon had had sprung up onto his feet, drenched in cold sweat, and panted heavily. His eyes had had an eerie almost crazed look to them. Before either of them had the chance to react let alone question him, the wolf demon raced out of the den in a fury, screaming the words, _"I will kill Inuyasha for you, Kagome!"_

So like any worried loyal pack members, Hakkaku and Ginta ran after him. But by the time they had reached the mouth of the cavern den, Koga was long gone. All they had to go on was his scent. That in itself was nothing new, the two were constantly tracking after Koga, but this time was different. The situation was dire. Not that they cared about what happened to the hanyou, Inuyasha, the gleam in Koga's eyes had had sent chills down their spines.

"Where…you…" Hakkaku began between heavy pants. One would think after all the running he did everyday, chasing after Koga and all, that he would be much more in shape. "..think…he…is…going…?"

His companion shot him an annoyed look. "Where…do…you…think…smart one?"

Hakkaku scowled and hmphed indignantly. "I know he went to find Inuyasha, but there's telling where that hanyo-" he stopped suddenly. He sniffed the air. "Hey…do you smell that?"

Ginta stopped also and took a whiff of the air. He was about to respond when a gasp escaped his lips.

-

On the way to the fast food restaurant, Kagome hadn't said much to her friends. They chatted idly about social happenings that went on in the school. She stared at her soda without really seeing it. Her thoughts were focused on the one thing she did not what to think about. Tried as she might to ignore them, the annoying thoughts kept popping in her head. Irritating thoughts like, should she have stopped by Kaede's cottage to tell her that she was all right? Were the others okay? Was Inuyasha okay without her?

_Shut up mind_, Kagome thought furiously. _Must you keep telling me things I don't want to know? _She knew that sooner or later she would have to confront this, but preferred to procrastinate and have it be later rather than sooner.

_Argh._ Kagome put her face in her hands and massaged her temples, trying to soothe her raging headache.

"Hey, Kagome. You okay?" asked Yuka, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Kagome lifted her head and found all her friends staring intently at her. She straightened and sighed. "I've been better."

Eri frowned in concern. "You've been really out of it, Kagome. You've hardly said a word all day. Is something bothering you?"

"You know you can tell us anything, right?" Ayumi asked from her right.

"Right, Kagome?" all her friends asked in unison.

Kagome looked at the sincere faces of her friends and felt a pang of guilt. They cared about her and all she did was lie to them, right to their faces even. What kind of friend was she? They had no idea of what was really going on in her life anymore. Kagome knew it was for the best if they didn't know about the feudal area, and yet she felt guilty for excluding them.

Then again, something really was on Kagome's mind. Actually more than one thing. The main problem, she knew she couldn't tell them. But maybe just maybe they could give her some insight about those horrid nightmares she had had. She hadn't told a soul about what happened in her vivid dreams. _It couldn't hurt to tell them…_

Kagome suddenly found it amusing to stare at her soda bottle.

"D-do you guys ever have um," she paused and searched for the right word. "graphic dreams?"

Yuka's eyebrow rose. She and Eri exchanged curious looks. "**Graphic** dreams?" she repeated.

"Yeah, you know a very detailed dream that feels as though its real?" Kagome replied, still meeting no one's gaze.

"Uh huh," Yuka and Eri and Ayumi all shared skeptical glances. Was there something little Kagome was neglecting to tell them?

Ayumi leaned forward. "Let me guess. It has to do with your boyfriend?"

Kagome looked up in surprise. _Inuyasha?_ "Y-yes, how did you know?"

"It's perfectly natural for someone to have such dreams when involved in a relationship," replied Yuka.

"_Perfectly natural?_ No way! There's no way in hell I'd call these dreams _perfectly natural_! They're just the opposite!"

"Jeez, no need to get so touchy. Your dream is just showing you your inner desires."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. There was no way she desired Inuyasha dead. She wanted him alive, well, and happy. Not bloody, battered, and dead.

"T-that can't be," she stammered. "I don't want him like that."

A mischievous smirk crossed Eri's lips. "He's your boyfriend, isn't he? You wouldn't have gone out with him if you didn't _want_ him in some way."

"Yeah," agreed Yuka. "Sexual fantasies are nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has them."

Kagome blinked and stared at her friends for several minutes. What Yuka had said was still processing. Did she just say sexual fantasy?

"Sexual fantasy?" she repeated in confusion.

"Duh, so you had a rated X dream with your boyfriend. No biggie."

How the hell did they get that from horrid nightmare…? Kagome smacked her forehead. She knew how this happened and couldn't believe she didn't notice until it was too late. Wrong choice of words on her part. _I guess being in the feudal area for so long made me forget how perverted my friends are._

Besides, why on earth would _she_ have a fantasy about **_Inuyasha_**? That was complete and total madness. Although, she had to admit she liked being close to him and enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms…but that didn't mean anything. His heart belonged to Kikyo not Kagome.

Around her, Kagome's friends started to giggle. Kagome sighed; she really had to do something about that blushing problem of hers. It was beginning to get annoying.

-

"That was odd."

_You can say that again, Miroku,_ Inuyasha thought as he stared at the spot where the young leader of the wolf demon tribe had been just moments ago. His handrubbed his now sore windpipe.

"What on earth just happened?" Shippo exclaimed as if he had just snapped out of a daze.

_I don't know._ Amber eyes glanced at the sword slung around their owner's waist.

**Flashback**

"Silence! Let's settle this with our fists!"

He barely had enough time to step to the side before he was bombarded by a fury of punches. Some he had managed to block but a few broke through his defenses and came into contact with his stomach and his jaw.

_Where is Koga getting all this strength from?_ Inuyasha didn't remember the wolf demon's hits stinging so much. Was it possible that he obtained more shards of the Shikon no Tama?

He threw his hands on the ground and sprung backwards, flipping onto his feet to avoid more hits. Once he was a safe distance away, his hand gripped the handle of Tetsuaiga but just as he was about to unsheathe the mighty sword, he was hit by an angry fist and knocked off of his feet.

_Shit. _Inuyasha gingerly rubbed his chin; the metallic taste of blood was in his mouth. His blood. He definitely didn't recall his mouth bleeding the last time Koga had struck him.

"What's the matter, dog-boy? Having a little trouble standing up?" Koga sneered in a tone of mock sympathy. "Let me give you a hand."

Before Inuyasha had the chance to react, Koga was already in front of him. The wolf demon's hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground with ease.

"Let…me…go…asshole…"

Inuyasha struggled to pry the hand off of his increasingly constricted windpipe with no success. He swung his legs and tried to kick out of the grasp, still nothing. He dug his claws into Koga's hand, deep enough to draw blood, but the demon did not seem to take notice.

It was getting harder to breathe. His strength was rapidly leaving him. He knew that if he didn't do something fast, he was going to die. Little black dots were dancing before his eyes. Dimly, he heard his friends cry out for him.

Suddenly, Koga cocked his head to west and inhaled deeply, his hand gave one final squeeze as he disappeared in his usual whirlwind.

**End Flashback**

The wolf demon's attacks were so sudden and powerful that they completely caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting such power.

_I didn't even have time to draw my Tetsuaiga. _

Where on earth did Koga get all that strength from? He wondered. Was it from the jewel shards?

As unlikely as it seemed, the possibility wasn't at all that improbable. It was rumored that there two or three shards floating around this area. But still…something didn't smell yet about the situation. The stench that cloaked Koga wasn't like his usual one, there was something different about it.

"How are you doing, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked from his right. Inuyasha blinked, when did he get there?

Shippo was on the monk's shoulder. His aqua eyes studied the hanyou intently. "Yeah Inuyasha, you look pretty banged up."

Inuyasha snorted and folded his arms over his chest, turning away. "Feh. As if that mangy wolf could hurt me."

_Well at least he's behaving arrogantly again. _"Your bloody lip seems to beg to differ."

Inuyasha glared at him. "Shut the hell up, Miroku. You don't know nothing."

-

"So I'm guessing those weren't the kind of dreams you had," Eri said seriously. "Because if they were, I doubt you'd look so depressed unless you saw something disappoint-"

Kagome's cheeks flushed bright red. "NO! Shut up! It's nothing like that!"

Eri merely rolled her shoulders with a sly grin on her face. Yuka and Ayame exchanged giggles. "Jeez okay, okay…"

"So what happened, Kagome?" Ayame questioned.

The girl in question suddenly found it amusing to stare at her soda. She chewed on her bottom lip. Argh! What was she supposed to say? Should she tell them? Then again, what did she have to lose?

"You guys promise not to tell?"

She didn't know why she was even saying that. The words just flowed out of her mouth all on their own accord. It wasn't like it mattered who her friends told. None of her companions in the feudal area would ever find out.

She folded her hands on her lap and lowered her chin. Thick, ebony bangs fell over her eyes.

"Sure, Kagome. Of course we wouldn't tell anyone."

"Well I…" she trailed off, staring at the folded hands on her lap.

Now was the perfect opportunity to tell them about the dreams, to lift the burden off her chest, but now all of a sudden she couldn't seem to find her voice. Suddenly, she felt as though she _didn't_ want to tell them.

"C'mon Kagome, you've got our word. We won't tell a soul," Eri said.

Kagome looked up at the face of her friend. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, her gaze drifted out the window behind the girl's head. There was usual hustle and bustle of the crowded Tokyo streets. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something odd about the scene.

With the constant commotion stood a lone figure, cloaked head to toe in black. His gaze held hers in a spine tingling embrace.

Was it just her imagination or was that guy looking straight at her?

"Oh my god…" Kagome muttered, unable to tear her eyes away. He had come for her. Dear god, he had come for her.

To her horror, the lone figure lifted the hood covering his head revealing…

"Hello Kagome." A hand clutched her shoulder.

A scream broke through her lips as she instinctively tore out of the grasp. The hand only held on tighter. In the midst of the struggle, Kagome fell out of her chair and rolled onto the tile floor. Her eyes were shut tightly, her arms covered her head as she was expecting a blow.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me! Leave me alone or else Inuyasha kill you!"

"Er…Higurashi? Kagome?"

"Kagome?"

She slowly opened her eyes, which she didn't even realize she had clamped shut in her fright, to see none other than Hojo staring down at her. A mixture of hurt and confusion clearly written on his face. Her friends looked at her with similar looks.

Kagome slowly rose on shaky legs and returned to her seat. She stole a glance out the window. The figure was gone.

Her attention returned to the matter at hand.

"Uh…hi…Hojo…"

-

"I don't understand," Sango began as they continued on their journey.

Her voice was weak and raspy, but she didn't care. There was something on her mind that was bothering her and she was determined to getan answer.

"Even if Koga had somehow acquired more jewel shards, I doubt they would increase his power that much. Something else must be afoot."

There was silence as the group absorbed her words. Miroku rubbed his chin in thought. Even Inuyasha, who had slowed his pace and was now several feet ahead, seemed to be thinking it over.

"He didn't."

All eyes fell upon the houshi.

"What makes you say that?" Sango questioned. She opened her mouth to say, 'We don't have Kagome to tell us how many shards he has' but thought better of it. "We have no way of knowing for sure."

"It's quite simple, my dear Sango. Had Koga obtained more jewel shards he would have displayed them proudly."

_That makes sense. I suppose…_

"Did you see his eyes?" Shippo piped up from Sango's lap. "Talk about freaky."

"My point exactly."

The slayer shot Miroku a strange look. "What are you talking about?"

His gaze remained fixated on something just out of sight, arms folded over his chest. There was silence as he carefully chose his words.

"I can't be sure but I believe that-" A loud sniff broke his musings. Miroku cocked his head to side. "Inuyasha?"

The hanyou had his eyes closed, nose lifted in the air, sniffing furiously. His brow twitched, as did one of the dog-ears on his head.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Sango asked, curiously.

Everyone had stopped now and watched him in confusion.

"Do you smell that?" Inuyasha sniffed some more as if making sure the scent was still there.

"Uh, Inuyasha we humans cannot-"

"Shippo, what do you smell?"

The small kitsune jumped from Kirara's back and perched on Inuyasha's shoulder. He smelled the air.

"I don't smell any-" he started to say when a gasp escaped his lips. "Oh my gosh! You're right!"

The two humans exchanged blank looks and returned their attention back to the hanyou and kistune. Even Kirara tested the air. She made a throaty growl. _What's this?_ Sango looked at her curiously.

"What is it you smell, girl?"

The words had barely left her lips when the demon cat roared onto it's hind legs and took off into the sky, taking the wounded slayer with it.

"Sango!"

-

Author's Note: Dun dun dun dramatic reberse. That is the end of Chapter Eight. What will happen to Sango? What is with the strange scents in the air? And what the heck is Koga's deal? If you want to find out, go the bottom of the page and click the button that says 'send review' or email me whatever you what to do. But just send me something, okay? I want to know what's going on in the minds of you the readers. Read and Review! Okay? BTW, quick question. blushes Do any of you know which one of the wolves is Ginta and which one is Hakkaku? I can't remember. Please and thank you! And I want to thank each and every one of you for your wonderful reviews, but I don't have the time. I'm sorry! Next chapter, next chapter, okay? Ja ne!

--$hAdOwCaT


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